Down 2-0 in the three-match series following a heavy 194-run defeat at Lord’s, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made the drastic call to send seven players, head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul back home ahead of the final match starting on September 9 at Edgbaston. Former wicketkeeper-batter Atiq-uz-Zaman has expressed deep anguish over the current state of the Pakistan men’s team, saying that they are in shambles at the moment due to chaos and mid-tour player and coaching changes during their ongoing Test series in England.
Down 2-0 in the three-match series following a heavy 194-run defeat at Lord’s, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made the drastic call to send seven players, head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul back home ahead of the final match starting on September 9 at Edgbaston.
Because Mike Hesson has his personal favourites, and he brought those players into Test cricket. It really hurts me because, even though I live in England, I am Pakistani at heart. Because he lacked prior coaching experience and qualifications, now, I personally didn’t agree with him becoming the Pakistan Test team head coach. Because i don’t think they did anything wrong, i feel very sorry for Sarfaraz and Umar Gul.
They’ve won World Cups for Pakistan. Sarfaraz won a World Cup at the U19 level and then won the Champions Trophy as national captain.
Pakistan cricket is currently at an all-time low,” Atiq-uz-Zaman told IANS in an exclusive conversation from England. White-ball coaches Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke have taken over red-ball coaching responsibilities, while former captain Misbah-ul-Haq offered his resignation from the selection panel and even left the batting consultant role at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. The decision to trigger a massive squad overhaul ahead of the dead-rubber third Test sent shockwaves through the cricketing world, as it drew sharp criticism from global experts and commentators, especially with Pakistan’s fortunes across formats on a sharp downward spiral. “I don’t understand why Khurram Shehzad was dropped or why the spinner (Ali Usman) was sent home after taking the most wickets in the Leeds Test. All of a sudden, now T20 bowlers are brought into the Test squad. Why? “I don’t understand what’s going on. Pakistan cricket is in shambles at the moment. I played for my country and I want them to improve and perform well in different conditions. “Look, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul are greats of Pakistan cricket. He deserves respect. “I didn’t support that appointment. But once you make him the coach, you have to back him. Give him a fair chance before you disrespect him and send him home in the middle of a Test series. It is unacceptable. If the players on the field can’t perform, or if you haven’t selected a team capable of performing, what is a coach supposed to do? Let’s see what Mike Hesson does now,” he added.
