London, September 2, 2026: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has defended the decision to overhaul the national Test setup during the ongoing three-match series against England, saying the changes were necessary and dismissing criticism from what he described as people who had achieved little themselves.
Speaking to a private news channel from London on Wednesday, Naqvi said the decisions taken during the England tour were required to address the team’s problems, while indicating that the board was also examining other matters.
“There are other things that I am looking at, but this is not the right time to talk about anything beyond cricket,” he said.
Naqvi acknowledged that he was deeply affected by Pakistan’s poor performance in the Test series, saying he personally felt the pain of the team’s struggles.
“I have never been afraid of criticism, and I never will be,” he said, adding that criticism from people who had not achieved anything themselves did not concern him.
The PCB chairman said he would, however, take criticism from established cricket figures seriously.
“If a great player like Wasim Akram speaks, I will definitely listen and take it seriously,” Naqvi said, while rejecting claims that he was not devoting sufficient attention to cricket.
He said those making such allegations did not know the facts and maintained that much of the criticism directed at the PCB was motivated by personal differences rather than genuine concern for Pakistan cricket.
Naqvi admitted that Pakistan’s Test cricket performance had been “very poor” but argued that the team’s fortunes in white-ball cricket had improved during his tenure.
He pointed to Pakistan’s current fifth position in the ICC ODI rankings and sixth position in the T20 rankings, challenging critics who claimed that the national team had deteriorated since he assumed charge of the PCB.
“Those who say cricket has been destroyed since I came — look at what the rankings were before,” he said.
Naqvi also said he would not tolerate the humiliation of Pakistan’s players and stressed that his confidence in the squad remained intact despite the team’s disappointing Test campaign.
Pakistan entered the England series after drawing 1-1 in the West Indies but suffered a crushing defeat in the opening Test, going down by an innings and 103 runs in the absence of former captain Babar Azam.
The second Test at Lord’s brought another heavy setback. Pakistan had not lost a Test at the venue since 2010 and entered the match on a two-game winning streak there, but England secured a commanding 194-run victory to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
The consecutive defeats triggered intense criticism from former players, pundits and cricket analysts, putting the PCB leadership under growing pressure.
In response, the PCB carried out a major overhaul of the Test setup ahead of the third and final Test in Birmingham, releasing seven players as well as head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul.
The changes have further intensified scrutiny of Pakistan’s Test cricket structure, with the board now under pressure to halt the team’s slide and rebuild a competitive red-ball side ahead of future international assignments.
