Pakistan made major changes to their Test set-up ahead of the third and final Test against England from September 9, replacing almost half of their squad and releasing head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul following heavy defeats in the first two Tests against Three Lions, according to Cricinfo.
Aaqib, while being critical of the team’s recent performances and explaining the PCB’s decision, had said that “the world is laughing at us”. Former Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja took a jibe at Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) director of high performance Aaqib Javed’s comments about the board’s major shake-up of the Test team during an ongoing series. Commenting under a Cricinfo post on social media, Khawaja hit back, writing, “The world is laughing harder now.
Former Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja took a jibe at Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) director of high performance Aaqib Javed’s comments about the board’s major shake-up of the Test team during an ongoing series.
Misbah, who retired as Pakistan’s most successful Test captain in 2017, has held several positions within the PCB over the years. He was appointed head coach and chief selector in 2019. before stepping down as chief selector in October 2020 to focus on his coaching responsibilities. He later resigned as head coach in 2021.In 2023, Misbah returned to the PCB as an advisor under then ad hoc management committee chief Zaka Ashraf. He was subsequently appointed as one of five mentors for the men’s Champions Cup in 2024 and also worked with women’s domestic teams. Last month, he coached the Pakistan Gold side to victory in the 50-over National Champions Cup in Multan under captain Shaheen Afridi.
Speaking on Geo, as quoted by Cricinfo, Aaqib was critical of the team’s performance, saying that “the world is laughing at us”. He also said that the players being sent back are given a message that performances matter and they need to up their game. “Two Test matches have come and gone, and the team has not competed in any way,” Aaqib had said. Your captain, head coach and management have some responsibilities,” he said. Earlier, former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq offered his resignation from the Pakistan men’s national selection committee following the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision to make major changes to the Test squad and coaching staff during the ongoing tour of England, according to Cricinfo.
“When you are not making the right decisions despite getting messages conveyed to you to play the right combination, that is a problem. Pakistan squad for Birmingham Test against England: Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Fazal, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Imran, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Razaullah, Saad Baig (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique, Ubaid Shah.
He also spoke about his recommendations to skipper Babar and former coach Sarfaraz during the tour regarding the pace attack for the earlier matches, adding Ubaid Shah for some variety and extra pace and calling for an uncapped Ghazi Gori to play in place of Mohammed Rizwan.
