There are no quick solutions for fixing Pakistan cricket, and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) must have learned its lesson the hard way after the slump continued in the third and final Test against England at Edgbaston in Birmingham. The Mohsin Naqvi-led board replaced seven players in the squad after the loss at Lord’s, but the results are the same as the Babar Azam-led side is on the verge of losing the third Test inside three days.
Saim Ayub, the opening batter, was parachuted into the squad on the basis of a century in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), and the left-handed batter failed to even open his mark in the entire Test, grabbing a pair after being dismissed for ducks in both innings by Ollie Robinson.
Nasser Hussain, the former England captain, lambasted for picking Ayub in the Test squad, saying it just shows “disrespect and disregard” for Tests. He said the young opener should not be in England, as he hasn’t played any first-class cricket recently.
“The truth is, he (Ayub) shouldn’t be here. He came from the CPL and hasn’t played first-class cricket in some time. I don’t know who thinks it’s the right thing to fly someone over from foreign conditions, playing a completely different format, and think they’re going to be fine in these conditions against a Dukes ball, against Ollie Robinson and England’s bowling attack,” Hussain said on Sky Sports after the end of Day 2.
“It is just a sort of disrespect and disregard for Test match cricket. Test match cricket, as any cricketer will tell you, is the toughest format. Batting at the top of the order in England is the toughest task, and you just feel you can fly someone in from some part of the world and go, ‘Good luck’,” he added.
The Sehwag example
Hussain then cited the example of former India opener Virender Sehwag, who faced a similar situation in 2011. He made his way into the playing XI after missing the first two Tests and grabbed a pair at Edgbaston.
“Virender Sehwag tried it on this ground, if you remember… they flew him in. Virender Sehwag got a pair, and that’s Virender Sehwag, who’s a better, more experienced player than Saim,” Hussain said.
“So a bit of responsibility goes to the lad for the shot he played. But also, whoever thought that was a seriously good decision and that he was going to go okay this week?” he added.
It is worth noting that Ayub last played a first-class match in October 2025, and he was just drafted into the squad on the back of a ton in the CPL, a move which has been criticised by former players like Basit Ali and Kamran Akmal.
