‘Has cricket ended there as well?’: PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi cites India’s Ireland defeat amid Pakistan’s Test crisis
Pakistan recently conceded a three-match Test series to England in England, and as a result, the PCB sent several players home. The third Test will begin on 9 September.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi noted India's shock T20I series defeat to Ireland earlier this year, when asked about Pakistan's recent Test series loss to England.
Pakistan lost both of the first two Tests to England by heavy margins, and the impact of the loss was so much so that the PCB sent seven of their players home.
The coaching staff, including head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul, were also dismissed, with Mike Hesson taking over as the coach for the upcoming third Test.
"Let me ask you one thing: South Africa lost to Namibia, and India lost to Ireland. Has cricket ended there as well?
"Yes, one thing is important: whoever we need here, we will definitely bring in. If someone is not clicking or not performing, then what can we do? Every match and every series is important for us," Naqvi said in a video that is doing the rounds on social media.
PCB chief unfazed by criticism
Naqvi, however, said that he is unperturbed by the criticism that he has received, and hoped that things will change for Pakistan in the longest format.
"Yes, absolutely, what happened in the Test match cannot be termed wrong. We have lost these two matches, but I believe that, God willing, we will make progress in the coming days, just as we did in ODIs and T20Is.
"I have never been afraid of criticism, and I never will be. Those who say cricket has been destroyed since I came - look at what the rankings were before we brought our coaching team. We were eighth in ODIs and now we're fifth, in T20Is we jumped to sixth position from ninth, " he added.
Pakistan are languishing at the bottom of the World Test Championship (WTC) standings with just 16 points, and a points percentage (PCT) of 16.67. The visitors will hope to avoid a series clean sweep when they take on England in the third and final Test at Birmingham's Edgbaston, starting from 9 September.
Pakistan haven’t won an ICC trophy since the side led by Sarfaraz Ahmed won the 2017 Champions Trophy in England, beating India in the final. Earlier this year, the Men in Green were knocked out in the Super 8 stage of the 2026 T20 World Cup that was co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.