The Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision to axe seven players and the head coach after two crushing defeats by England triggered a furious backlash from former captains and coaches who branded the shake-up as “panic-driven” chaos.
Yesterday, the PCB announced dropping seven players, including Mohammad Rizwan, Imamul Haq, and Salman Ali Agha, from the Test squad after the completion of the Lord’s Test. Sarfaraz Ahmed, who was appointed as the head coach of the Test team in April, and bowling coach Umar Gul, had also been sent back home.
On the same day, the board also named the replacements for the axed players, with five uncapped players. White-ball head coach Mike Hesson was to oversee the team’s matters as a replacement for the Test head coach.
Since the announcement, the cricket board, headed by Mohsin Naqvi, has faced criticism in sporting circles, with former Pakistan captains also questioning its rationale.
“I’m trying to convince myself this is all OK, but it is not,” former captain and ex-PCB chairman Ramiz Raja told BBC Radio.
