After suffering humiliating defeats in the first two Tests at Headingley and Lord’s, the PCB hastily sent seven players and two coaches back home. Even before the third Test, which is scheduled to begin in Birmingham on September 9, Test coach Sarfaraz Ahmed was removed from his position and replaced by Mike Hesson.
Among those sent back home were Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha and Imam-ul-Haq. Fast-bowling coach Umar Gul was also removed from his position.
Speaking on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, Nasser Hussain said Pakistan’s problems were initially only about their performances. But the way the PCB responded has made the situation far worse.
Nasser Hussain said, “After the Headingley Test, the world was certainly not laughing at Pakistan. I was disappointed by their lack of fight at Lord’s. My intention was not to mock them, but to point out that a great cricketing nation was heading in the wrong direction. But now, with what is happening, they have turned themselves into a laughing stock. The situation is getting even worse.”
The former England captain also strongly criticized the way the PCB publicly discussed Imam-ul-Haq’s injury. Pakistan’s High Performance Director Aaqib Javed directly questioned Imam’s commitment on television. At the time, however, Imam was suffering from a muscle injury in his leg.
Expressing his anger, Nasser Hussain said, “I cannot believe how a High Performance Director can come on TV and belittle his own player like that. Whether he is injured or not is an internal matter. When questions are raised about a player’s injury in other teams, they simply give a straightforward answer. But what was done to Imam was simply ridiculous. You have to protect your players and learn to respect them.”
Nasser is not the only one to speak out against the PCB’s incompetence. Former coach Jason Gillespie has also criticized the situation. Under Gillespie last year, Pakistan defeated England 2-1 in a Test series. Gillespie believes Pakistani players are now “playing cricket in fear” under the current structure.
Questioning Aaqib Javed’s team selection process, Gillespie said, “The selectors change their decisions like they change their pants every day.” He pointed to the sudden dropping of Salman Ali Agha, who captained the side in the first Test, as one of the biggest examples of the team’s instability.
Gillespie further alleged that there is no communication between the selectors and the players. He also claimed that many of those who were dropped and sent back home learned about their exclusion through their families, friends and the media rather than directly from the management.
For Pakistan, managing the chaos off the field has now become a bigger challenge than their performances on the field. Mike Hesson and Australia’s Ashley Noffke have taken charge of the team ahead of the Birmingham Test, but there remain major questions over whether they will be able to successfully steer the team through this turbulent situation.
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