Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram played devil’s advocate, saying the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and its chief Mohsin Naqvi must have decided to send seven players back home after a string of poor performances. Last week, the PCB replaced seven players, including Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, and Imam-ul-Haq, in the Test squad post the losses at Headingley and Lord’s against England. Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul were not spared as the duo were replaced inside the dressing room, and Mike Hesson, the white-ball coach, took the reins for the final Test at Birmingham.
The decision to shuffle the squad around drew flak from several corners as the likes of Michael Atherton, Nasser Hussain, Basit Ali and Kamran Akmal, among others, lambasted the move.
While Akram said it did not paint a good picture, the legendary pacer added that the PCB’s hand might have been forced, given the dismal results in the UK.
“That is just beyond imagination. We have never seen it or heard about it before. If I play devil’s advocate and think about PCB, they have been seeing such performances for the last three to four years. Maybe they too have a limit. You said that you have to do a surgery after the T20 World Cup, but nothing happened,” said Akram during a conversation with Muhammad Furqan Bhatti.
“If you want to make a new team, it will take time. There is no quick fix. You have to be patient. If you want to make a new team, then be patient,” he added.
‘Coaches cannot do anything’
Akram was also quick to say that there’s no quick fix for improving the state of affairs in Pakistan, adding that one needs to be patient and that coaches need to be given some time to implement their ideas.
“The coaches cannot do anything at the moment. It is just about the players’ talent and skill levels. I always knew that Pakistan would be beaten by England and this would be our state,” said Akram.
“Obviously, it is embarrassing for the players and the captain that seven have been called back to Pakistan,” he added.
Speaking of the series between Pakistan and England, the visitors lost the opening Test by an innings and 103 runs, while the second Test saw Babar’s team go down by 194 runs. In the first two Tests, Pakistan failed to breach the 200-run mark even once.
