- Naqvi says white-ball cricket performance improved under his watch.
- PCB chief says players’ dignity will not be compromised under him.
- Naqvi admits Test cricket performance has been very poor recently.
LONDON: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi defended the sweeping mid-series changes made during the England Test series as “essential”, dismissing critics who he said had themselves achieved nothing.
Speaking exclusively to Geo News from London, Naqvi said the decisions taken in England were necessary, adding that beyond performance, there were other matters he was currently examining but that it was not the right time to discuss anything beyond cricket.
He said he deeply felt the pain of the national team’s poor performance.
“I have never been afraid of criticism, and I never will be,” Naqvi said, adding that criticism from those who had not achieved anything themselves made no difference to him.
He said if a great player like former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram spoke, he would take it seriously, but dismissed others who claimed he was not giving enough time to cricket, saying they simply did not know the facts.
He said those raising concerns about Pakistan cricket were not genuinely worried about the game — their real issue was with him personally.
Naqvi acknowledged that Pakistan’s Test cricket performance had been very poor but said the team’s white-ball form had improved during his tenure.
He noted that Pakistan currently ranked fifth in ICC ODI rankings and sixth in T20 rankings. “Those who say cricket has been destroyed since I came — look at what the rankings were before,” he said.
He also said he would not tolerate the humiliation of players and that his confidence in them remained intact.
Pakistan had suffered a humiliating innings-and-103-run defeat in the first Test, followed by a 194-run loss at Lord’s in the second Test, handing England an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
The PCB subsequently released seven players — Rizwan, Imam, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad — from the Test squad ahead of the Birmingham Test. Saim Ayub, Abdullah Fazal, Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran and Razaullah were brought in as replacements.
The board also released head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul from their positions, with the white-ball coaching panel of Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke now overseeing the Test side.
Later, the PCB issued a notice to selection committee members — Aaqib, Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq — seeking written explanations within 24 hours over the basis and rationale for recommending Rizwan and Imam for the Test squad.
The notice specifically referred to a June 2 selection committee meeting whose minutes were submitted on July 1.
Separately, Misbah-ul-Haq decided to resign from the selection committee, sources close to the former Pakistan captain said, adding that he had informed the PCB and would serve a notice period before formally stepping down.
