KEY TAKEAWAYS:
-
Shoaib Akhtar said the PCB has lost faith in the current Pakistan squad.
-
He revealed a board official described Pakistan cricket as being “on a ventilator”.
-
Akhtar urged the PCB to protect the careers of Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf.
Shoaib Akhtar continues to have PCB’s back amid chaos
Pakistan’s mid-tour overhaul in England has drawn criticism from almost every corner of the cricket world, but Shoaib Akhtar has offered a rare voice in the board’s defence.
The former pace spearhead has revealed conversations with PCB officials that suggest the changes are not reactive panic but the beginning of a deliberate, if painful, rebuild.
England dismantled Pakistan by an innings and 103 runs at Headingley and 194 runs at Lord’s to take an unassailable 2-0 lead, prompting the board to send home seven players and replace both head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul ahead of the dead-rubber third Test at Edgbaston.
While the timing has been questioned, Akhtar argued the decisions reflected a deeper strategic shift rather than a knee-jerk response to two bad results.
What Shoaib Akhtar revealed about the PCB’s view of the current squad
Speaking on the OutSide EDGE show, Akhtar claimed the board’s disillusionment with the existing group ran far deeper than what had unfolded in England. He suggested the PCB had already moved beyond the current set of players mentally.
“The PCB itself was very disappointed by these people, and they don’t expect anything from this Pakistan squad,” Akhtar said. “The plan is to remove this squad and replace them with younger and newer blood. Players who just want to play for Pakistan. They are looking at the future now, and they are working at it in the right way.”
He then revealed an exchange with a PCB official that painted an even starker picture. Asked what the board expected from the touring side in England, the response left no room for ambiguity.
“Nothing. We have expectations from the next generation of players that we are preparing for the big stage,” Akhtar quoted the official as saying.
The same official described Pakistan cricket as being “on a ventilator” and estimated a revival would take around two years. When asked whether the turmoil had come as a shock, Akhtar was dismissive. “What is the shock there? Didn’t you expect that?” he said
MORE: IND vs PAK outside ICC tournaments? Arch-rivals to compete in multi-nation series
Why Akhtar wants Shaheen Afridi and other Pakistani bowlers protected
While backing the need for wholesale change, Akhtar drew a firm line around three players he believes must survive the transition. All three are fast bowlers, a reflection of both his own background and the premium Pakistan have historically placed on genuine pace.
“In this transition, I just want Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf’s careers to be saved. These guys have a lot of cricket left in them,” he said. Akhtar also pointed to signs of progress away from the senior team.
He said he had visited the National Cricket Academy in Lahore during the second Test and noticed significant infrastructure work under way. “After 26 years, there is work being done at the academy now,” he said, framing it as evidence that the board’s investment is genuine even if the immediate results remain dismal.
His assessment of the England tour itself was blunt. When the defeats were raised, he offered no excuses. “We didn’t have the fight in us,” Akhtar said.
MORE: ‘Victory vs India …..’: Mohammad Yousuf reveals what led to Pakistan cricket’s downfall
Why Akhtar’s defence of the PCB carries weight but also risk
A two-year timeline for revival is at least honest, and it contrasts sharply with the quick-fix mentality that has produced 14 coaching changes in the past decade.
If the PCB genuinely intends to build from the academy upwards, protecting three proven fast bowlers while blooding young talent in dead rubbers is a defensible strategy.
The risk is that “working in the right way” becomes a shield against accountability. Pakistan have finished ninth in the WTC standings, lost seven consecutive away Tests in SENA countries, and are about to face a possible 3-0 whitewash in England.
A board that describes its own cricket as being on a ventilator cannot simultaneously claim to be executing a plan, because plans do not produce patients. What makes Akhtar’s intervention notable is his proximity to the decision-makers.
This is not punditry from the outside but a former player relaying private conversations with officials who have evidently sanctioned his disclosure. Whether that represents transparency or spin will depend entirely on what the two-year window actually produces.
For all the latest cricket news, opinion, and commentary and to share your voice, head to ourFacebook,Instagram,andX (Twitter)pages.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
