Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has shared his views on the dramatic changes by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), claiming that the board has effectively lost confidence in a large part of the existing Test squad.
Speaking on the Outside EDGE show, the former speedster suggested that the board is using the England Test tour as an opportunity to accelerate a wider rebuilding process. Notably, his comments came after the PCB sacked seven Test players from the England tour.
“The PCB itself was very disappointed by these people, and they don’t expect anything from this Pakistan squad. The plan is to remove this squad and replace them with younger and newer blood. Players who just want to play for Pakistan. They are looking at the future now, and they are working at it in the right way,” Akhtar said.
“In this transition, I just want Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf’s careers to be saved. These guys have a lot of cricket left in them,” he added.
Akhtar also revealed his conversation with a PCB official on what exactly they were expecting from the current Test side on the England tour.
“Nothing. We have expectations from the next generation of players that we are preparing for the big stage,” Akhtar quoted the official as saying.
Akhtar further stated that the same official described the state of Pakistan cricket as being “on a ventilator” and believed it could take around two years to revive.
Pakistan’s updated squad for the third Test vs England:
Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Fazal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Imran, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wicket-keeper), Razaullah, Saad Baig (wk), Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah
