Pakistan cricket is in turmoil right now and it’s not because of what’s happening on the field, it’s because of what the board just did off it. The Pakistan Cricket Board has thrown its Test squad and coaching setup into chaos midway through the ongoing series in England, and the backlash has been swift and brutal.
The trouble started with Pakistan losing the first two Tests of the three-match series, both by heavy margins. They lost the opener by an innings and 103 runs, then went down again in the second Test by 194 runs. In response, the PCB sent seven players packing, including T20I captain Salman Ali Agha, former captain Muhammad Rizwan and senior batter Imam-ul-Haq. These players have largely been replaced by youngsters and uncapped names ahead of the third and final Test, which starts on September 9 in Birmingham.
That’s not all — the board also removed head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul from their roles. Adding to the upheaval, reports surfaced on Tuesday that Misbah-ul-Haq, the head of the selection panel, has resigned from his post.
Former head coach Mickey Arthur didn’t hold back, calling the decision absurd and pointing out that this constant reshuffling of players, coaches and selectors is exactly why the team lacks the stability needed for consistent results.
The reaction from Pakistan’s cricketing legends has also been scathing. Javed Miandad, the legendary former captain, said he was left shocked by the sudden changes and felt for both sides — the players sent home, who now carry an unfair mark on their careers, and the new players coming in, who will face immense pressure playing the final Test under such circumstances.
Rashid Latif, another former captain, turned his criticism toward the team’s leadership, suggesting that captain Babar Azam should have stepped down once the board made its call, arguing that a true leader wouldn’t have simply stood by while his players were let go.
Former captain Moin Khan felt the board should have at least waited until the series ended before making such drastic moves, even if changes were eventually necessary. He also hinted that the speed and scale of the shake-up suggested there might be more going on behind the scenes than just poor performances.
Opening batter Mohsin Khan raised questions about handing Mike Hesson control of the Test team with just one match left in the series, saying he hoped the new-look side would perform better, but admitted it would be tough for the players not to feel unsettled given everything happening around them.
Former all-rounder Shahid Afridi and former captain Shoaib Malik also weighed in, both criticising the board’s overall handling of the situation. Shoaib Malik questioned why the accountability process was targeting players instead of the people responsible for creating the system’s deeper issues, adding that the dropped players had served the country and deserved more respect than being talked about so dismissively.
Shahid Afridi, for his part, defended sacked coach Sarfaraz Ahmed, arguing that five matches wasn’t nearly enough time to judge his impact and pointed out the irony of selectors calling up T20 specialists for a Test match. He also cautioned that constantly putting players under this kind of pressure after losses could do lasting psychological damage, potentially instilling a lasting fear of failure.
Javed Miandad closed out the wave of criticism by reflecting on his own long career, which included player revolts, fixing scandals and painful defeats, but said he had never witnessed the board react in a way quite like this before.
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