The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) held a two-hour meeting after the team’s heavy defeat to England in the first Test. PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi reviewed player performances and instructed improvements in pitch conditions. Major changes could be on the horizon for Pakistan cricket, as the board met for an emergency meeting on Sunday, October 13.
The meeting, which followed Pakistan’s innings defeat despite scoring 556 runs, included discussions with the selection committee and Champions Cup mentors on the current cricket crisis.
England’s 823-run total, the fourth highest in Test history, highlighted Pakistan’s struggles on home soil. The loss has fueled speculation that Babar Azam may be dropped from the Test squad due to his prolonged poor form in red-ball cricket.
“Mohsin Naqvi chaired a special joint meeting of the selection committee and mentors. The meeting of selection committee and mentors continued for 2 hours. Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi first held a separate meeting with the mentors and then held a joint meeting with the selection committee members and mentors. In the long meeting, the recent performance and fitness of the team was reviewed in detail,” a PCB tweet said on Sunday.
“Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi and mentors agreed to complete the process of evaluating the performance of new players by the end of the current series. The meeting also decided to complete the fitness process of the players till the end of the current series,” it further added.
Several Pakistan cricketers have criticized the PCB for the issues within the country’s cricket system. A viral social media rant from Shoaib Akhtar expressed frustration over losses to Bangladesh and England. Pakistan has not won a home Test since 2022, making them the only Test team with such a record in recent times.
“Over the decades, I have seen the decline. The situation is disappointing. Losing is fine, but the game should be close. However, what we saw over the past two days, they completely gave up hope. This shows that we aren’t good enough. England scored 800+ and Bangladesh also beat you,” Akhtar told PTV Sports.
“Fans are saying that Pakistan should stop playing Test cricket. I saw some comments. ICC must be thinking, ‘Should we send teams to Pakistan and keep their Test status alive’. It’s just disheartening. This is going to hurt Pakistan cricket, fans and the upcoming talents. I want to request the PCB to sort out this mess,” he added.
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Name of Author: Cricexec Staff
