'Match-winning players don't exist now'

New Delhi: Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, who came out of retirement to captain Pakistan to World Cup glory in 1992, feels players who used to win matches on their own don't exist anymore.

In an interview with the English daily Times of India, the former Pakistan skipper said too much cricket and lure for money has taken its toll in the form of lack of quality and shift in focus.

"Cricket has become competitive for the wrong reasons. Maybe, the players have the same passion for the game, but making money sometimes becomes more important. Sadly, it sometimes becomes the primary focus, and you play endlessly, you play too much. With the increase in quantity, the quality of the game suffers, obviously, because the human body can take only so much abuse."

\"Maybe the players have the same passion for the game, but making money sometimes becomes more important.\"

Citing the example of West Indies fast bowlers of the 70s, Imran said the taxing schedule is the reason behind not having a single fast bowler of the same quality today.

"Lack of quality is seen in the players too. In the last 10 years, we haven't produced even one good fast bowler that the West Indians had in a single team back then. The domination of the West Indian team, say between the 70s and the 80s - that cannot happen in today's times. There are no match-winning cricketers anymore," Imran said.

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