Mohsin Naqvi Defends Major Overhaul of Pakistan's Test Squad
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi has stood firmly behind the drastic overhaul of Pakistan’s Test squad in the middle of a bruising tour of England, insisting the changes were “essential” rather than impulsive.
With England already 2-0 up and the series gone, Pakistan tore up their plans before the third and final Test starting September 9. Two heavy defeats forced the issue: an innings loss in the opener, followed by a 194-run beating in the second. The margin wasn’t just on the scoreboard; it was in confidence, intent, and control.
Under fire from former players, pundits and a disillusioned fanbase, Naqvi has chosen confrontation over retreat.
“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,” he said, as quoted by Geo News, pointing to an upswing in Pakistan’s white-ball fortunes during his tenure even as the Test side has crumbled in England.
He made it clear he is examining issues beyond what the scorecards reveal, though he stressed this is not the moment to air matters unrelated directly to cricket. For now, the focus is on the team’s collapse in the longest format and the radical surgery that followed.
Seven out, a new core in
After the second Test defeat, the PCB cut deep. Seven players were released from the squad: Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Agha, Ali Usman, Aamer Jamal, Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad.
In their place, Pakistan have turned to the unknown and the untested.
Five uncapped players have been drafted in: Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran Randhawa and Razaullah. They join Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal, who between them have only 10 matches of experience.
It is a gamble, and a bold one. Experience out, potential in. For a dead rubber on paper, it suddenly feels like an audition for Pakistan’s next Test cycle.
Naqvi’s stance is that this is not panic, but a reset that could no longer be delayed. The old guard failed to withstand England’s relentless pressure; the new faces arrive with little baggage but plenty of scrutiny.
Coaching shake-up to match the squad cull
The clear-out has not stopped at the dressing room door. The PCB has also moved on the coaching front, aligning the Test set-up more closely with the white-ball structure that Naqvi cites as a success.
Mike Hesson has been appointed head coach and Ashley Noffke bowling coach for the Test side, both already embedded in Pakistan’s white-ball staff. The message is obvious: one philosophy, one direction, across formats.
Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul, who had been serving in coaching roles, have been released. Names that once carried weight for Pakistan on the field now step aside as the board backs a new technical regime to match its revamped squad.
Naqvi’s defence of these sweeping calls is unflinching. The series is gone, the criticism is loud, and the risk is high. But with Pakistan’s Test standing rocked by back-to-back hammerings in England, the chairman has chosen upheaval over incremental change.
The third Test will show whether this is the start of a new era or just the most dramatic roll of the dice Pakistan cricket has seen in years.
