Pakistan cricket has been on a downward spiral since 2022 as they have been losing in bilateral and ICC tournaments regularly. They have not been able to win a Test at home for some time, and even in white-ball cricket, the team has struggled.

They had recently been white-washed by Bangladesh 2-0 at home in Test series and lost the first Test to England by an innings and 47 runs, after conceding 823 runs in one innings.

However, Pakistan registered a 152-run win in the second Test, also in Multan, and though things are looking up, it has taken some hard steps. This included the PCB selection committee resting the likes of Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Naseem Shah for the two Tests against England.

The new selection committee led by former bowler Aaqib Javed, also comprises Aleem Dar, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, and Hassan Cheema. The captain and head coach have been removed from their voting rights in the selection process.

Javed, part of Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup winning team, revealed in a podcast that former India opener and current head coach Gautam Gambhir showed concern about Pakistan cricket to him recently.

"We met the Indian players during our series against Sri Lanka. Gautam Gambhir ne mujhe kaha ke 'Aaqib bhai, yeh Pakistan cricket ko kya ho gaya hai? Itna talent hai, hum bhi dekhte hain, sab kuch hai, inhone kiya kya hai?' (Gambhir asked me what has happened to Pakistan cricket despite so much talent and everything, what have they done?)" said Aaqib.

The former pacer, who played in 22 Tests and 163 ODIs, said Pakistan's fall has taken the sheen out of India-Pakistan encounters.

"He (Gambhir) also feels sorry about it, because there are a few (top-level) teams, and the Pakistan-India matches provide the biggest thrill. So if your team (Pakistan) falls like that then one of the game's biggest matches loses its charm. ICC mei log haste hain (people in the ICC laugh about it)," he concluded.