Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has defended the major changes made to the national Test squad following Pakistan’s disappointing performances against England. He also admitted that mistakes were made during the selection process.
Speaking to the media in London, Mohsin Naqvi said the changes to the Test team were necessary because players who fail to perform cannot be kept in the squad indefinitely. He said the PCB was considering several factors while making decisions about the team.
Naqvi admitted that Pakistan’s performance in Test cricket has been poor. He said the two defeats against England could not simply be ignored and that the PCB needed to carefully review the team’s performance.
Pakistan lost the first Test against England by an innings, while the second Test at Lord’s ended in a 194-run defeat. The result gave England an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match Test series.
Ahead of the third and final Test against England, Pakistan made major changes to its Test squad. The third Test is scheduled to begin in Birmingham on September 9.
Following the defeat at Lord’s, Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamer Jamal, Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad were released from the squad.
Five uncapped players were added to the squad. They include Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Imran Junior, Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran Randhawa and Razaullah.
Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal were also added to the squad. The two players have a combined experience of only 10 matches.
Changes were also made to the coaching staff. Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke were brought in from Pakistan’s white-ball coaching set-up as head coach and bowling coach respectively. Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul were released from their coaching roles.
Mohsin Naqvi said performance must remain an important factor when selecting players for the national team. He said a player who is not performing should be replaced.
He described Salman Ali Agha as a good player but said that the player had failed to deliver the required performances in recent matches.
The PCB chairman also admitted that mistakes can happen during the selection process. He said the board would continue to look for players who could strengthen the national team and would give opportunities to those who are needed.
Naqvi openly acknowledged Pakistan’s poor performance in Test cricket and said the team still had a long way to go before reaching the top level.
He said it was not possible to take Pakistan from ninth position to first position in the world rankings within three or six months. According to him, improvement would require time, planning and consistent efforts.
Naqvi said the PCB was working on a strategy to help Pakistan compete against and defeat the strongest teams in world cricket.
While admitting the problems in Test cricket, the PCB chairman also highlighted what he described as progress in Pakistan’s white-ball cricket.
According to Naqvi, Pakistan’s ODI ranking has improved from eighth to fifth position, while the team has won four of its last six ODI series.
He also said Pakistan’s T20 ranking had improved from ninth to sixth position. Naqvi claimed that the team’s success rate had increased from 24% to 73% since the arrival of the new coaches.
Pakistan cricket has faced strong criticism from former players, fans and analysts following the defeats against England and the major changes to the Test squad.
Naqvi said he was not afraid of criticism and accepted that people had the right to question the team’s performance. However, he said criticism should be based on facts.
He said some defeats were being discussed as if Pakistan cricket had come to an end. Naqvi maintained that genuine criticism was welcome but unfounded accusations should be avoided.
The PCB chairman said people could criticise him personally, but Pakistan cricket and its players should not be targeted unfairly.
Naqvi also revealed that he regularly seeks advice from former Pakistan cricketers when making decisions about the national team. He specifically mentioned former fast bowlers Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis and said their opinions would carry weight.
The PCB chairman said the current changes should not be seen only as a reaction to the England series. According to him, the board is working on a broader plan to improve Pakistan cricket.
For now, Pakistan’s immediate focus is on the third and final Test against England in Birmingham. Naqvi said every match remains important and indicated that further decisions could be taken as the PCB continues its efforts to strengthen the national team.