Pakistan Cricket Board faces backlash after sending seven players home and overhauling its coaching staff mid-series against England. Ramiz Raja and Mickey Arthur slammed the move as a “panic button” decision after Pakistan’s back-to-back defeats.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has come under immense scrutiny after sending seven players back home midway through their ongoing three-match Test series against England following back-to-back losses at Headingley and Lord’s.
Pakistan, under the leadership of Babar Azam, have had a miserable start to the campaign, failing to cross the 200-run mark in any of the four innings, with the highest being 194 during a massive 389-run chase in the Lord’s Test, which eventually culminated in a heavy 194-run defeat after an already dismal innings and 135-run loss at Headingley.
Following the Lord’s Test defeat, PCB made a radical overhaul, replacing the coaching staff and cutting seven key players like Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq, a move that sparked sharp criticism from former cricketers and experts for hitting the panic button mid-series.
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‘Pakistan Cricket Has Hit Panic Button’
Former Pakistan batter and 1992 World Cup winner Ramiz Raja slammed the Mohsin Naqvi board’s sweeping changes, arguing that abruptly dropping players and reshuffling the management mid-tour fosters a selfish team culture and questioned whether the overhaul would deliver the team’s result in the third and final Test at Edgbaston.
“I'm trying to convince myself this is all OK, but it is not. It just shows Pakistan cricket has hit a panic button. It's not good for the game, it's not good for the confidence of the players who have come in, or for the players who are left, because it makes you a selfish team,” the former PCB chairman said on BBC Radio Live 5.
“What is the guarantee they will get the results? Some of these guys have not played Test cricket. I've got no idea why this was done,” he added.
In the first two Tests of the ongoing series against England, Pakistan have been under immense scrutiny, especially Imam-ul-Haq’s fitness and form, with the opener suffering a calf injury at Lord’s before being sent home ahead of the third Test.
Moreover, the performance of the senior players, including skipper Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Salman Ali Agha, came under heavy fire after failing to anchor the batting lineup during crucial phases of the series, with Rizwan and Agha also being handed their marching orders alongside Imam as part of the seven-player purge before the final Test.
Raja Calls PCB’s Mid-Tour Sackings ‘Unheard Of’
Further speaking on the Pakistan Cricket Board’s decision to call back seven players in the middle of the ongoing Test tour of England, the former chairman slammed the drastic measures as unprecedented in international cricket, comparing the sudden mid-series overhaul to firing a football manager halfway through a season.
“I'm really not happy with the situation. How many times have we seen this happen in world cricket? Never, ever,” Ramiz Raja said.
“This is more like football, midway through the season, firing a manager. If you ask me how things can be fixed, I've got no idea,” he added.
The sudden sacking of seven players alongside the reshuffling of the coaching staff, with Mike Hesson taking over as red-ball coach, has put Pakistan cricket under a microscope as they prepare for the final Test at Edgbaston, hoping to salvage pride and avoid a complete whitewash in the series.
Mickey Arthur Slams PCB’s ‘Ridiculous’ Decisions
Apart from Ramiz Raja, former Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur also heavily criticized the board's abrupt overhaul, calling the mid-series purge of players and staff ‘ridiculous’.
Taking to his X handle (formerly Twitter), Arthur argues that Pakistan’s poor performances stem from the PCB’s constant changes to players, coaches and selectors, stressing that stability, planning and structure are essential for consistent results.
“Absolutely ridiculous decisions by the PCB-this is the reason they are in the mess they are, because they constantly chop and change players, coaches and selectors, and there is no stability! Planning, stability and structure =Consistent performance,” Mickey Arthur wrote on X.
Pakistan Cricket Board’s sudden squad changes came as the Babar Azam-led side is scheduled to meet King Charles at Clarence House during the break between the second and third Tests, with the royal audience planned before the series began.
It remains to be seen how this high-profile royal engagement and the unprecedented squad upheaval will impact the team's mental readiness as they head to Edgbaston to try and salvage the tour.
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