The PCB’s decision to replace seven players and relinquish head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul from their roles ahead of the third Test at Edgbaston, which effectively is now a dead-rubber, has been criticised widely with experts from around the world expressing their shock and dismay. The unprecedented nature of the move also saw Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik voice their disapproval on X (formerly Twitter).

“There is always criticism when it comes to team selection and I am not bothered by it,” Naqvi told Geo Network, speaking for the first time after the development. “We are answerable for results and what happened in the last two matches is wrong. But we are looking for improvement in the Test format as we have had in the ODIs and T20Is.”

Pakistan’s slide across formats has drawn parallels with the state of hockey in the country. Pakistan dominated the sport in the last century, winning four World Cups and three Olympic gold medals, but have faced a dramatic decline since the turn of the century. They finished 11th in the 16-team World Cup just recently in what was their first appearance in the tournament after eight years.

“Did cricket come to an end in South Africa and India after they lost to Namibia and Ireland?” Naqvi questioned. South Africa are the current WTC champions and India hold the men’s T20 World Cup title.

“Every match of a series is important for us and we are not left with any option if a player is not performing but to look for his replacement. The purpose behind these changes is not to axe players from contention, but just to replace them. Consider [Salman] Agha who is a very good player, but he could not click because of some reasons. He was spoken to about it.

“Everyone has a right to criticise performances, but they portray these losses as terminal. It is not acceptable for those [former] players who have not achieved anything in life to push this narrative. I seek advice from former cricketers time to time and I feel that we are doing poor in Test cricket. We have had a discussion to ascertain the reasons behind it. They include factors beyond performance and we will get to the bottom of it … I would not allow anyone to blame the players for the sake of it and ask everyone to stop demotivating the players. It is unfair.”

Naqvi claimed that much of the criticism directed at the board’s decisions and the team was because he was at the helm.

“Did cricket come to an end in South Africa and India after they lost to Namibia and Ireland? We are not left with any option if a player is not performing but to look for his replacement. The purpose behind these changes is not to axe players from contention, but just to replace them.”

PCB chair Mohsin Naqvi

“They want to get rid of me [with this criticism], but let me share some facts,” he said. “We have jumped to number five from eight in ODIs and won four of the six series since we have appointed the new coaching set-up [under Mike Hesson]. We were ninth in T20Is and now sit at sixth and our success rate has climbed to 73% from 24. Yet, there is criticism that cricket is finished in the country.”

The Edgbaston Test begins on September 9.