Azhar says lack of vision, instability hurting Pakistan cricket

Azhar notes lack of vision, instability hurting Pakistan cricket.

Key points

• Mir Shabbar Ali Published September 3, 2026 Updated September 3, 2026 08: 49am.
• Additionally on Wednesday, Pakistan team players and office-holders met King Charles at Clarence House in London.
• Speaking to Geo News from London, Mohsin remarked he was "deeply upset" and "deeply saddened" by Pakistan's performances and results.
• PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday, defended the board's decisions, saying the changes created during the ongoing England tour were necessary after careful consideration.
• The ex-Test batter remarked constant changes had additionally created insecurity among the players.

Mir Shabbar Ali Published September 3, 2026 Updated September 3, 2026 08: 49am. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

Former skipper believes hard decisions should not breed insecurity PCB chief notes criticism 'personal' rather than driven by genuine concern.

KARACHI: Former captain Azhar Ali has blamed a lack of vision, instability and reservations over job security among decision-makers for the repeated upheavals in Pakistan cricket, emphasising the game's establishment in the country must first identify its difficulties before embarking on a long-term reform process.

Azhar's comments came after Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) decision to sack red-ball head coach Sarfraz Ahmed – who had taken up the job only months earlier and overseen five defeats in six Tests – and hand charge of the side to white-ball coach Mike Hesson for the third Test in England, send seven players home and replace bowling coach Umar Gul with Australian Ashley Noffke.

While a number of former players and coaches criticised the timing of the shake-up with the series still in progress, selection committee member Misbah-ul-Haq subsequently resigned after reportedly not being consulted over the changes.

"The real difficulty is the lack of vision among the residents working at the PCB. It additionally raises questions concerning the competence of the individuals making these decisions, " Azhar remarked when contacted by Dawn on Wednesday.

"Job security seems to be the biggest concern. When you are trying to save your job, competence goes out of the window. If cricketing decisions are not being taken by cricketers, then it is additionally the fault of the cricketers themselves."

Pakistan suffered massive defeats in the first two Tests – by an innings and 103 runs at Headingley and by 194 runs at Lord's – leaving England with an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.

For context, the ex-Test batter remarked constant changes had additionally created insecurity among the players. This person were struggling to cope with uncertainty surrounding the team.

"It creates insecurity among the players. You can see it in their body language. They are under mental stress and are not able to absorb everything that comes with these decisions, " he remarked.

Azhar, nevertheless, stated tough decisions were sometimes necessary but needed to be taken within a stable and clearly defined system.

"There are times when you have to make hard decisions, and I think those decisions should be made but the players need to feel that they have some security and that they can stand their ground."

For context, the 39-year-old identified instability and inconsistency throughout a number of areas of the game as major reasons for Pakistan's decline over the past five to six years.

"There has been instability and inconsistency all around – political instability, changes in coaching and changes in selectors, " he remarked. While the players in the team are additionally thinking regarding their own future, "The individuals running the cricket board are trying to save their job. I don't blame the players for that. If I am in their position, I will additionally think concerning myself."

For context, the former captain remarked Pakistan needed to resist the temptation of repeatedly changing direction and instead conduct an honest assessment of where its cricket stood.

"First of all, we have to create sure that we know what our challenge is. If you don't know the difficulty, there can be no introspection and no realisation. Until you realise where you stand, the journey towards improvement cannot commence, " he stated.

Azhar proposed involving former and current top cricketers in assessing the state of Pakistan cricket before drawing up a long-term plan.

"I would like to see our top cricketers sit together and talk regarding what they think is wrong with Pakistan cricket and find the right solutions collectively before laying a proper five-year road map. We have to be patient and consistent with it, " he remarked. "You cannot keep taking one step forward and two steps back."

He was optimistic that a properly structured system could restore Pakistan's competitiveness even if it did not immediately produce a world-beating side.

"I guarantee that if we do this properly, we will not become world-beaters, but we will at least be able to compete. Fans will enjoy watching Pakistan play. At present, we are becoming irrelevant, " he went on.

Azhar additionally rejected the idea that technical deficiencies among individual players were the principal reason for Pakistan's struggles, saying the system responsible for developing them needed more scrutiny.

"The ability is there in everyone. If your system supports players properly, they can perform at international level. Technical problems do not matter as much as residents think. If our best players are not ready, then we have to look at the system, " he insisted.

"We have to ask ourselves: why have Babar and Rizwan gone backwards? We have to look at how we have wasted these players and why they have declined."

Speaking to Geo News from London, Mohsin remarked he was "deeply upset" and "deeply saddened" by Pakistan's performances and results. He remarked performance was not the only problem being examined by the PCB, adding that there were "other matters" under consideration, but it was "not the right time" to discuss problems unrelated to cricket.

Notably, the PCB chief additionally hit back at criticism, against the backdrop of the present turmoil, from a number of former Pakistan players.

"I have never been afraid of criticism, and I never will be, " he maintained.

He reckoned that a number of among critics did not know the complete story and that some objections were personal rather than driven by concern for Pakistan.

While acknowledging Pakistan's poor Test record and its position near the bottom of the WTC table, Mohsin pointed to improvements in the white-ball rankings during his tenure, saying Pakistan were fifth in ODIs and sixth in T20Is.

He additionally rejected claims that cricket had been "destroyed" since he took over.

"Those who say cricket has been destroyed since I came – look at what the rankings were before, " he remarked while adding that his confidence in Pakistan's players remained intact and that he would not tolerate their humiliation.

Additionally on Wednesday, Pakistan team players and office-holders met King Charles at Clarence House in London. Mohsin was additionally present at the gathering, where the monarch spoke with the cricketers and team authorities. Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2026.

Mir Shabbar Ali is a sports reporter primarily covering cricket for Dawn. He tweets at @shabbar_mir.

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