Mushtaq Ahmed, a former leg-spinner for Pakistan, stated on Sunday, September 6, that although he would want to work in a coaching capacity for Pakistan, he is "scared of working" for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and not receiving the respect and job security he deserves.  

Ahmed is presently the spin-bowling coach for the Bangladeshi squad, but he has previously worked with the PCB.

Following Pakistan’s defeats in the first two Tests of the three-match series against England, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul were fired, and seven players were sent home, further damaging PCB's already poor reputation.  

White-ball coach Mike Hesson has been requested to take over the coaching of the Pakistan team for the last Test after seven replacements—five of whom were uncapped—were announced.

“I would love to do that for my country, of course. Especially at this time. Obviously, I need only one thing. Sometimes you get scared of working for your own country when the people don’t respect you, and they sack you because of a few emotional decisions here and there… When you see those things, people getting sacked on a tour, you get worried and scared," Ahmed stated on the BBC Stumped Podcast.

As a former cricket player, Ahmed expressed his disappointment at seeing Sarfaraz and Gul getting fired midway through the series, claiming that PCB ought to have at least been considerate enough to wait until the conclusion of the series.

“I think those are the things that, if you can get that sorted, I think every Pakistani cricketer who is coaching, not only myself, would love to serve the country. This is the best time for me to take that challenge and bring those players to their best, make them confident about international cricket, and make a unit that can actually challenge opposition teams," Mushtaq added.

Mushtaq Ahmed has been Pakistan’s spin bowling consultant for the first time between 2014 and 2016 and then returned to a coach role in 2020 as a spin bowling coach and remained in the position till 2022.