Mohsin Naqvi (PTI Photo)
Former Pakistan batter Mohammad Yousuf has questioned the major changes made to the Test squad and coaching staff during the ongoing England tour, saying the decisions appear to be linked to the wider instability that has affected Pakistan cricket for years.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), led by Mohsin Naqvi, made sweeping changes after the team went 2-0 down in the three-Test series. The former batter, who played 90 Tests and scored more than 7,500 runs for Pakistan, said the problems have continued since the team’s 1992 World Cup triumph. Yousuf’s comments came after Pakistan released Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad from the Test squad.
Yousuf suggested the changes were not based solely on performances and said Pakistan cricket has repeatedly been caught up in internal disagreements and controversies. “Since the glory of the 1992 World Cup, such turbulence has resurfaced time and again, eroding stability and distracting from the game itself,” he said. “We have endured such turmoil in different forms many times before, each episode leaving scars on the team’s progress and the fans’ faith,” he wrote.
Seven players and two coaching staff members were sent home ahead of the third Test. Yousuf warned that repeated off-field turmoil could hurt the team’s progress and weaken supporters’ confidence.