Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has strongly defended the decision to overhaul half of the national Test squad and replace the coaching management following Pakistan’s crushing 194-run loss to England at Lord’s.
“Everyone has a right to criticise performances, but they portray these losses as terminal. It is not acceptable for those [former] players who have not achieved anything in life to push this narrative. I seek advice from former cricketers time to time and I feel that we are doing poor in Test cricket. We have had a discussion to ascertain the reasons behind it. They include factors beyond performance and we will get to the bottom of it … I would not allow anyone to blame the players for the sake of it and ask everyone to stop demotivating the players. It is unfair.”
The defeat at Lord’s gave England an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, triggering an unprecedented restructuring. Seven players—including Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, and Salman Ali Agha—were dropped from the squad. Additionally, red-ball head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were relieved of their duties ahead of the third Test at Edgbaston, with white-ball head coach Mike Hesson taking charge.
“Did cricket come to an end in South Africa and India after they lost to Namibia and Ireland? We are not left with any option if a player is not performing but to look for his replacement. The purpose behind these changes is not to axe players from contention, but just to replace them.”
PCB chair Mohsin Naqvi
The sudden purge sparked widespread backlash across the global cricketing community, with former Pakistan stars Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik taking to social media to criticize the timing and scale of the decisions.
