‘Pakistan have gone back 10 years’ – Saeed Ajmal blasts PCB over England series chaos

Former Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal has launched a sharp public attack on the Pakistan Cricket Board, selector Aaqib Javed and newly appointed Test head coach Mike Hesson, saying the team has been set back a decade by the board’s handling of the England series.

Pakistan lost the first Test at Headingley by an innings and 103 runs and then fell to a 194-run defeat at Lord’s, handing England an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Following the Lord’s result, the PCB sent seven players home: Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamer Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad. Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were also removed from their positions on the same day.

“The board itself has demotivated the players more than anyone else. The board is not letting any player stand. There are players who have done well, who are also dropped. There are players who have been humiliated by PCB. Aaqib Javed [Pakistan selector] and Mike Hesson [Pakistan white-ball coach who has been asked to take over the Test team for the third Test] are a team. These two are controlling everything and are responsible for this whole mess. The whole issue is about egos. “Our team have gone back 10 years. We have not planned for the future,” Ajmal said in an interview with Samma TV, as quoted by The Daily Star Bangladesh.

What changes did the PCB make after the Lord’s Test?

After the Lord’s defeat, the PCB moved quickly to overhaul the touring party. Sarfaraz Ahmed was removed as head coach and replaced by Hesson, who had been serving as Pakistan’s white-ball coach, for the third Test at Edgbaston scheduled for September 9, 2026. Ashley Noffke, a former Australia seamer, was appointed as the new bowling coach in place of Umar Gul.

Imam-ul-Haq was among the seven players sent home. He did not bat in either innings at Lord’s and faced questions over a reported calf injury. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi addressed the criticism publicly, urging commentators to stop targeting players and stating that the changes were performance-based rather than punitive.

“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,” Naqvi had said earlier.

What is the broader concern Ajmal raised about Pakistan cricket?

Ajmal’s criticism went beyond the immediate personnel decisions. He argued that the PCB’s approach has undermined player confidence and that the board has failed to build for the future, pointing to Javed and Hesson as the two figures he holds most responsible for the current state of affairs.

The third and final Test of the series is scheduled at Edgbaston on September 9, with England already assured of the series win. Pakistan will play under Hesson’s charge for the first time in Test cricket, having made the coaching switch mid-series under significant public and internal pressure.