Former Pakistan captains condemn PCB’s “panic-button” shake-up before third England Test

Pakistan’s cricket establishment has reacted with fury to a sweeping squad reshuffle made in the middle of the England tour. Seven players and two members of the coaching staff were sent home after Pakistan’s two heavy defeats.

The Pakistan Cricket Board announced the changes after the Lord’s Test, dropping Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq and Salman Ali Agha among others. Sarfaraz Ahmed, appointed Test head coach in April, and bowling coach Umar Gul were also removed from the touring setup. The board named replacements the same day, including five uncapped players, and assigned white-ball head coach Mike Hesson to oversee the team’s affairs.

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I’m trying to convince myself this is all OK, but it is not. It just shows Pakistan cricket has hit a panic button.

Ramiz Raja, a former Pakistan captain and PCB chairman, said he was struggling to accept the decision. “I’m trying to convince myself this is all OK, but it is not,” he told BBC Radio. “It just shows Pakistan cricket has hit a panic button.”

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Even the replacements make no sense, T20 players have been included for a Test match in England?

Shahid Afridi also questioned the logic of selecting white-ball players for a Test series in England. “Even the replacements make no sense, T20 players have been included for a Test match in England?” he wrote on X. He also asked why the coach had been dismissed after only five Test matches.

Former captain Shoaib Malik criticized the language used in the announcement, saying the players remained national cricketers who had served Pakistan. “The players dropped from the squad are still our national cricketers who have served Pakistan,” Malik wrote. He said accountability should begin with those who created the system and should take place after a tour, not during it.

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The players dropped from the squad are still our national cricketers who have served Pakistan.

Rashid Latif described the move as an attempt to manage one crisis by creating a larger one, with disrespect added to the formula. He acknowledged the team’s poor performance but asked who had built the team in the first place. Latif also lamented the departure of Gul, a T20 World Cup winner, and Sarfaraz, a Champions Trophy winner.

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Yes, it was a poor show by the team, but who created this team?