Pakistan cricket is going through one of its messiest phases in recent memory and right in the middle of it is board chairman Mohsin Naqvi who has now broken his silence on the backlash following a dramatic mid-series shake-up. The PCB dropped as many as seven players from its Test squad partway through the England tour, while also removing head coach Sarfraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul from their roles.
The chaos comes after Pakistan suffered heavy defeats in the first two Tests of their three-match series in England, handing their hosts an unbeatable 2-0 series lead — a result that triggered strong criticism from former cricketers over how the board has handled the fallout.
Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s Interior Minister, made it clear that criticism doesn’t rattle him. Speaking to a news channel, he said he has never feared criticism and never will, and pushed back at those blaming him for cricket’s decline by pointing out how the team’s rankings compared before his time in charge.
He also indicated that while he would take feedback seriously from someone with the standing of Wasim Akram, he wasn’t willing to entertain criticism from people he felt didn’t have a proper understanding of the actual situation.
Among the players sent back home from England are senior figures Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha, along with Imam-ul-Haq, Ali Usman, Aamer Jamal, Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad.
To fill the gaps, several new names have been added to the Test squad — Saim Ayub, Abdullah Fazal, Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran Randhawa and Razaullah have all been called up as replacements.
Adding to the drama, the PCB has reportedly issued a show-cause notice to its selectors, asking them to explain the reasoning behind picking both Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Rizwan for the Test squad in the first place.
On the coaching front, white-ball coach Mike Hesson has now been handed charge of the Test team as well, while Ashley Noffke has stepped in as the new bowling coach.
In more fallout from the crisis, former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has stepped down from his position on the selection committee and also resigned as batting consultant at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.
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