Pakistan cricket’s turbulent tour of England has rapidly turned into a full-scale reset, with two crushing Test defeats prompting the Pakistan Cricket Board to make sweeping changes to both the squad and the coaching setup. England thrashed Pakistan by an innings and 103 runs at Headingley before following it with a 194-run victory at Lord’s, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. The defeats have been followed by dramatic changes, with Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul leaving the coaching setup and Mike Hesson taking charge of the team, assisted by former Australia seamer Ashley Noffke.
The PCB also removed seven players from the squad for the final Test, including Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq and Salman Ali Agha, as Pakistan look towards a younger group amid one of their most difficult periods in recent Test history.
Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has now weighed in on the overhaul, suggesting that the board itself has lost faith in much of the existing group. Speaking on the OutSide EDGE show, Akhtar claimed the PCB’s focus had already shifted towards building a new Pakistan side for the future.
“The PCB itself was very disappointed by these people, and they don’t expect anything from this Pakistan squad. The plan is to remove this squad and replace them with younger and newer blood. Players who just want to play for Pakistan. They are looking at the future now, and they are working at it in the right way,” Akhtar said.
Akhtar wants Pakistan pace trio protected
While Akhtar backed the need for change, the former pacer identified Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf as three players whose careers Pakistan must protect during the transition. “In this transition, I just want Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf’s careers to be saved. These guys have a lot of cricket left in them,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}While Akhtar backed the need for change, the former pacer identified Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf as three players whose careers Pakistan must protect during the transition. “In this transition, I just want Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf’s careers to be saved. These guys have a lot of cricket left in them,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Akhtar also revealed a conversation with a PCB official that offered an even starker indication of how the board views the current situation. According to the former pacer, when he asked what the PCB expected from the Pakistan side touring England, the response was emphatic. “Nothing. We have expectations from the next generation of players that we are preparing for the big stage,” Akhtar quoted the official as saying. Akhtar further claimed that the same official described Pakistan cricket as being “on a ventilator” and estimated that it could take around two years to revive the national setup.
The 51-year-old also spoke about developments away from the senior team, saying he had visited the National Cricket Academy in Lahore during the second Test and noticed significant infrastructure work taking place. “After 26 years, there is work being done at the academy now,” Akhtar said.
Asked whether the turmoil surrounding the national team had come as a shock, Akhtar was dismissive. “What is the shock there? Didn’t you expect that?” he said. And when Pakistan’s apparent inability to compete with England was raised, Akhtar offered an even more damning assessment of the two defeats. “We didn’t have the fight in us,” he said.
Pakistan will now head into the third Test at Edgbaston attempting to avoid a 3-0 whitewash, but the changes made before the series has even concluded indicate that the PCB’s concerns stretch far beyond the result of one tour.