Pakistan’s performance went from bad to worse after the visiting team lost the second game of the three-match Test series to suffer a series defeat with a match left to be played.
Once again, Pakistan failed to breach the 200-run mark in the series. England won the fixture by 194 runs to seal the series win. Following the second Test, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) took a drastic decision to call back seven players from England. As many as five uncapped players were flown to England along with two capped players.
Witnessing the downfall of Pakistan’s cricket from the sidelines, Azhar Ali has slammed Aaqib Javed and said that “we” have been making bad decisions for three years.
“We have had bad decisions like these for three years now. He should take responsibility for performances. His judgment should be questioned. I listened to his interview this week and he was trying to put the blame on Sarfaraz and Babar. He appointed them just a few months earlier!” Azhar told The Telegraph.
“That was enough for me to judge someone. Every decision he makes backfires and he then says: ‘It’s not me.’ Look at yourself first. And if you cannot control this team, if you cannot make a difference to Pakistan cricket, then step away,” he added.
Javed was appointed Pakistan’s director of high performance in 2025. Pakistan failed to qualify for the second round of the 2026 T20 World Cup and they haven’t won a Test match in a SENA country since 2018. Pakistan haven’t also made it to the second round of an ODI World Cup since 2011.
PCB also sent back coach
Apart from sending back seven players, the also sacked head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and sent him back to Pakistan. Mike Hesson, who was working with the white-ball teams, was appointed the new head coach of the Test team and he will be assisted by Ashley Nofke. The third Test starts on Wednesday (September 9).