Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selection committee chief Aaqib Javed finds himself in the line of fire over the decision to remove several players from the squad midway through the England Test series. Javed was at the centre of the PCB decision that saw 7 new players being sent to the United Kingdom ahead of the 3rd and final Test while white-ball coach Mike Hesson was suddenly given the charge of the Test team, replacing Sarfaraz Ahmed. In a conversation with Geo TV, Javed explained what caused the board to spring such big changes all of a sudden.
Javed didn’t spare Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam or head coach Sarfaraz as he pointed out the factors that led to Pakistan’s horror show in England. Javed accused the captain-coach duo of failing to take certain decisions on the field, prompting the board to step in.
They [the management] had a pace all-rounder available, a second wicketkeeper, a fast bowler in Ubaid Shah. But those decisions were not being made. I spoke to the captain [Babar Azam] and coach and asked them to put Ubaid in because the other bowlers [Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali and Khurram Shahzad] are all similarly paced,” Javed said.
“No batter in our top seven bowls. We should have included an allrounder, but most importantly, get in Ubaid Shah, who bowls close to 140kph. One fast bowler changes the composition of your attack. I understand dropping [Salman] Agha, who’s out of form, but you should have played Ghazi Ghori instead of [Mohammad] Rizwan [as the wicketkeeper]. When management fails to make tough calls, action has to be taken. We have already lost the series, and the world is laughing at us because we aren’t even competing,” he added, taking a direct swipe at Babar and Sarfaraz.
AQIB JAVED SENDS STRONG MESSAGE(Geo News)
He said – “When the coach and captain aren’t able to make decisions, someone has to take action.
The world is laughing at us because we can’t even compete.
This message will go to the team through these changes: fix your playing…
— Rana Ahmad. (@AhmadRana056) September 2, 2026
The PCB has long been accused of meddling in day-to-day affairs on the field. Javed had no qualms in admitting that the board officials step in from time to time, even in cases of playing XI selection, a role usually fulfilled by the coach and the captain.
“When decisions aren’t aligned with planning, messages are sent to fix the playing XI and balance the combination,” he said.
When asked about the decision to send 7 new players to England, Javed said that since the series is already lost, there’s no harm in trying new players.
“Once the series is lost and you have nothing left to lose, there is no harm in sending young players to show the world that Pakistan cricket still has talent. The message we’re sending to the recalled players is that you have to raise your game on important tours and compete, and we should be able to see some effort,” he concluded.
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