Azhar Ali: The final match of the three-match Test series between England and Pakistan will begin on September 9th. Pakistan has suffered humiliating defeats in the two matches played so far. Following this, the Pakistan Cricket Board took significant action and made several changes to the team. Seven players were also dropped. Following this, Azhar Ali criticized Pakistani chief selector Aaqib Javed.
Azhar Ali criticized
Former Pakistan captain Azhar Ali criticized Aaqib Javed. In an interview with The Guardian, Azhar said, “Cricket in Pakistan needs proper care and a vision that can give hope to a nation that is on the verge of losing its enthusiasm for cricket. If we don’t tighten our belts, we won’t be able to bring people back. We shouldn’t lose hope, but the situation isn’t good.”
Regarding Aaqib Javed, he added, “That’s enough for me to judge someone. Every decision he makes backfires, and then he says: ‘It’s not my fault. Look at yourself first, and if you can’t manage this team, if you can’t make a difference to Pakistan cricket, then step aside.”
Babar Azam got advice
Azhar offered a word of advice to Babar Azam. He said, “Perhaps this is the worst time to captain Pakistan. I think he needs to consider his options. Every player’s performance dips, but as a nation, we’ve consistently expected him to perform, which has led to criticism.”
Aaqib Javed is being criticized
Earlier, Pakistan team coach Jason Gillespie had also criticized Aaqib, saying that he changes his decisions based on the situation. Furthermore, the PCB had issued a show-cause notice to the selection committee regarding the selection of Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Rizwan.
Pakistan lost the first match against England by an innings and 103 runs. In the second match, England defeated Pakistan by a massive 194 runs and won the series. Following this match, the PCB dismissed seven players. Sarfraz Ahmed, who was acting as head coach on the tour, and bowling coach Umar Gul were also dismissed. Following this, ODI and T20 head coach Mike Hesson was appointed acting head coach of the Test team.