With seven players and two coaches sent back home and multiple rookies set to make their debut, Pakistan’s tour of England has truly turned into a laughing stock. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has also been in the line of fire, having been targeted by former cricketers not just in England but also back home. The likes of Michael Vaughan, David Lloyd, Michael Atherton, and Alastair Cook have often discussed Pakistan’s cricketing affairs, calling the decision to send players home a new low.
Former England cricketer Phil Tufnell, who has also been working as a pundit over the course of the series, called the PCB’s decision to send players home ‘terrible’.
“But to send them home – to actually send them home – I think it’s terrible. It’s a disgrace for the players. I mean, they’ve now got to get on a plane and go back to the country,” Tufnell said.
“I’ve had all sorts. I’ve been sent to the moon in a rocket by The Sun, and, you know, ‘big ears’ and ‘bunny teeth’ and everything. We always used to get that. But to actually say, two-thirds of the way through a tour, ‘Right, sorry lads, you’ve got to bugger off’ – I think that’s something else.”
While there have been cases where players were sent home due to injury or disciplinary issues, this is the first time in international cricket that as many as seven players and two coaches were asked to leave over poor performance.
“The thing is, usually you see one or two leave a tour because they’ve done something wrong in a bar or something. These have been sent home for just plain average cricket,” said former England captain Michael Vaughan, as quoted by Hindustan Times.
Exclusive Footage of King Charles Meeting and talking to King Babar Azam pic.twitter.com/lNaKMls98a
— Pakistan Cricket Team USA FC (@DoctorofCricket) September 2, 2026
During a discussion, one of the panel members also spoke about the irony that members of the team were sent to meet King Charles despite the fact that some of them were due to fly home before the next Test.
“They got an audience with King Charles, didn’t they?” one of the panellists said. “They’re all lined up, and you’re being sent home. But just before you go, can you just go and meet the King?”
A panel member even imagined what the conversation between King Charles and some Pakistani players would have been like.
“I bet old Charlie’s walked down there and said, ‘Are you the one who’s going home? What have you done wrong?'”
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