Mohsin Naqvi, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief, has found a way to deflect when he was asked about the ongoing downfall of Pakistan cricket. This comes after PCB sacked seven players and two coaches from the Pakistan team in the middle of the ongoing England Test series.
Pakistan lost the first two tests and the series to England, and PCB dropped seven players due to non-performance. PCB also sacked head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul, and the reins have been handed to Mike Hesson, who helmed the white-ball sides.
Naqvi acknowledged that Pakistan cricket is going through a challenging time, but he backed the squad in the wake of their recent losses. He cited two instances of elite teams experiencing surprise outcomes: South Africa's defeat to Namibia and India's stunning loss to Ireland.
"Let me ask you one thing: South Africa lost to Namibia, and India lost to Ireland. Has cricket ended there as well? Yes, one thing is important: whoever we need here, we will definitely bring in. If someone is struggling to click or perform, then what can we do? Every match and every series is important for us," Naqvi said in a video that is going viral on social media.
Naqvi also talked about Salman Agha, who is thought to be one of Pakistan's most important players but has recently struggled for form.
"Agha is such a brilliant player, and yet he is not clicking currently for certain reasons. We are not telling him, ‘We asked you to go and rest’; we spoke to him and did everything. So, the objective is not to remove someone from the team. The objective is that if a player is not clicking, then we should make a change," he added.
Naqvi also opposed the notion that Pakistan cricket is in complete downfall just because the team is not doing well in Tests and highlighted the excellent work done by white-ball sides. He said that since the current coaching arrangement was implemented, the team's ODI and T20I ranks had improved.
"Yes, absolutely, what happened in the test match cannot be termed wrong. We have lost these two matches, but I believe that, God willing, we will make progress in the coming days, just as we did in ODIs and T20Is. I have never been afraid of criticism, and I never will be. Those who say cricket has been destroyed since I came—look at what the rankings were before we brought our coaching team. We were eighth in ODIs, and now we're fifth. In T20Is we jumped to sixth position from ninth," Naqvi said.
It remains to be seen whether PCB’s reaction to two Test losses in England will bring any positive changes, when the third and final Test between England and Pakistan will be played in Birmingham from September 9.
