Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi has justified the decision to replace half of the squad and dismiss the head coach following Pakistan’s crushing 194-run defeat at Lord’s, which handed England an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match Test series. Naqvi stated there was no alternative but to make changes after such a disappointing result. He also rejected criticism of his leadership, describing suggestions that Pakistani cricket was in irreversible decline as “unfair” and warning against attempts to “demotivate” the players.
The PCB’s decision to drop seven players and relieve head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul of their duties ahead of the third Test at Edgbaston, which is now a dead rubber, has drawn widespread criticism from cricket experts globally. The unprecedented nature of the move also drew disapproval from former cricketers Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik, who voiced their concerns on X (formerly Twitter).
“There is always criticism when it comes to team selection and I am not bothered by it,” Naqvi told Geo Network in his first public remarks after the development. “We are accountable for results and what happened in the last two matches is unacceptable. However, we are committed to improving our Test cricket, just as we have in ODIs and T20Is.”
Pakistan’s struggles across formats have drawn comparisons with the state of hockey in the country. Pakistan was once a powerhouse in field hockey, claiming four World Cup titles and three Olympic gold medals in the previous century. However, the sport has experienced a steep decline, with Pakistan finishing 11th in the recent 16-team Hockey World Cup, marking their first appearance in the tournament in eight years.
The Lord’s defeat marked Pakistan’s 15th loss in their last 20 Test matches, leaving them at the bottom of the World Test Championship (WTC) standings, where they also ended the previous cycle. The team has also failed to reach the semi-finals in the last three ICC tournaments, including a winless campaign at last year’s home Champions Trophy and a group-stage exit in the 2024 T20 World Cup following a shock defeat to the USA in Dallas.
Pakistan trail the three-Test series against England 2-0, and sit at the bottom of the World Test Championship table•Stu Forster/Getty Images
“Did cricket come to an end in South Africa and India after they lost to Namibia and Ireland?” Naqvi remarked, referencing that South Africa are the reigning WTC champions while India holds the men’s T20 World Cup title.
“Every match in a series is important to us, and when a player is not delivering, we have no option but to seek a replacement. The aim behind these changes is not to permanently discard players but to provide alternatives. Take Salman Agha, for example. He is a talented player, but he struggled for form. We had a conversation with him about it.
“Everyone has the right to evaluate performances, but portraying these losses as the death of cricket is unacceptable. It is unfair for former players who have not achieved significant milestones themselves to push such narratives. I regularly consult former cricketers, and I acknowledge that we are underperforming in Test cricket. We have discussed the underlying issues, which extend beyond on-field performance, and we will address them. I will not allow anyone to unjustly criticize the players, and I urge everyone to stop demotivating them. It is unjust.”
Naqvi suggested that much of the criticism aimed at the board’s decisions and the team stems from his position as chairman.
“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
“They want to remove me from this position through this criticism, but let me present the facts,” he stated. “Since appointing Mike Hesson as head coach, we have climbed from eighth to fifth in ODIs and won four out of six series. In T20Is, we have moved from ninth to sixth, with our success rate rising from 24% to 73%. Despite these improvements, there are still claims that the sport is finished in Pakistan.”
When the PCB appointed Hesson as head coach of the white-ball teams on May 13, 2025, Pakistan were ranked fifth in ODIs and eighth in T20Is. At the start of 2024, a month before Naqvi became PCB chairman, the team held the fourth position in both formats. They currently stand fifth in ODIs and sixth in T20Is. In Test rankings, they have slipped from sixth at the beginning of 2024 to eighth now.The PCB will be hoping that the seven replacements, including five uncapped players, can deliver strong performances that help shape the squad for their remaining two fixtures of this WTC cycle, featuring home series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
The third Test at Edgbaston is scheduled to begin on September 9.