‘That’s why they are in a mess’: PCB slammed for ‘ridiculous decision’ to send 7 players back home
Pakistan Cricket Board Faces Backlash After Mid-Series Squad Overhaul in England
Bharatmorning.com – The Pakistan Cricket Board has drawn sharp criticism after pulling seven players out of the ongoing three-Test series against England and shipping them back home following two consecutive heavy defeats. The decision, confirmed on Monday after the second Test at Lord's ended in a 194-run rout, marks one of the most abrupt mid-series reshuffles in recent Pakistan cricket history. With neither fixture reaching its scheduled fifth day, the Babar Azam-led side has already been eliminated from any realistic chance of taking the series, and the PCB opted to replace the entire playing unit with fresh names ahead of the final Test in Birmingham.
Former Coach Mickey Arthur Fires Back
Mickey Arthur, who previously held coaching roles with the Pakistan men's team, used his social media platform on Tuesday to deliver a pointed rebuke of the board's management approach. Arthur, well acquainted with the internal dynamics of Pakistan cricket from his earlier tenure, argued that the board's habit of perpetual tinkering has become the root cause of the team's chronic instability.
"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."
Arthur's comments land with particular force given his own experience navigating Pakistan's administrative landscape. His critique is not merely about one squad change; it is an indictment of a pattern he says has persisted across multiple cycles, eroding player confidence and tactical continuity before a team can ever find its rhythm.
Who Was Sent Home and Who Replaces Them
The seven players ordered to depart England are Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar, and Khurram Shahzad. Alongside them, Test coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul have also been instructed to leave the camp. White-ball coach Mike Hesson will assume interim leadership of the unit for the remaining fixture.
The replacement slate comprises seven names, of whom five have no prior Test cap and two carry limited international experience. Batters Saim Ayub, who has appeared in eight Tests, and Abdullah Fazal, with two Test appearances, headline the batting additions. Left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Arafat Minhas, who has represented Pakistan in three ODIs and four T20Is, rounds out the group. The heavy weighting toward uncapped players signals that the PCB views the final Test less as a competitive contest and more as a developmental audition under match conditions.
A Series That Collapsed Before It Began
The context for the overhaul is stark. Pakistan lost the opening Test at Lord's by an innings and 103 runs, a margin that left the visitors without a meaningful fight across five days. The second Test, also at Lord's, produced an even wider 194-run defeat. In a three-match series where the margin of victory typically hovers around a few runs or a handful of wickets, two such routs in consecutive fixtures represent a complete breakdown in execution, selection, and on-field composure.
While few observers projected Pakistan to win the series given the quality gap between the two sides, the expectation was that the team would compete with intensity and give England a contest on at least one day. That expectation went unmet. The absence of any fifth-day drama in either Test underscored how thoroughly the visitors were outmatched in both departments.
World Test Championship Implications
The double loss deepens Pakistan's crisis in the ICC World Test Championship standings, where the side now occupies the bottom position. The WTC, which determines qualification for the final of the format, rewards consistency across a two-year cycle. Sitting at the foot of the table after a home-and-away run of fixtures means Pakistan must now win every remaining Test to keep any mathematical thread alive — a scenario that, given the current form, appears increasingly theoretical.
The Updated Birmingham Squad
The revised playing group for the third Test in Birmingham comprises: Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Fazal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Imran, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wicket-keeper), Razaullah, Saad Baig (wicket-keeper), Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, and Ubaid Shah.
The retention of Babar Azam as captain, despite the series collapse, suggests the board still views him as the long-term anchor of the Test setup even as the rest of the unit is turned over. Shan Masood's continued presence, despite a lean run of form, further indicates that the overhaul targets depth and future pipeline rather than short-term competitive viability.
A Pattern, Not an Anomaly
Critics of the PCB point to a recurring administrative habit: mid-cycle coaching changes, frequent selector rotations, and squad experiments introduced at moments when continuity matters most. Arthur's reference to "no stability" echoes a sentiment shared by players, analysts, and fans alike. The board's stated rationale for the England reshuffle — giving uncapped talent exposure to top-level conditions — is understandable in isolation, but its timing, executed immediately after two humiliating defeats and with the series already lost, reads to many as a face-saving move dressed in developmental language.
Whether the Birmingham Test produces any competitive edge for England or merely serves as a controlled environment for the new arrivals remains to be seen. What is clear is that Pakistan's Test programme, already fragile in the WTC rankings, now enters its final phase with a squad that has essentially been rebuilt from scratch in the space of a single weekend.
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