'Pakistan cricket is on a ventilator' - Shoaib Akhtar reveals PCB's grim assessment after England humiliation

England's comprehensive victories over Pakistan in the first two Tests of their three-match series have triggered a major overhaul at the Pakistan Cricket Board. The hosts suffered an innings and 103-run defeat at Headingley, Leeds between August 19-23, followed by a 194-run loss at Lord's from August 27-30, which secured an unassailable 2-0 series lead for England. These results marked England's first Test series victory since their tour of New Zealand in late 2024.

The scale of Pakistan's response has been dramatic. Sarfaraz Ahmed stepped down as head coach, with Umar Gul departing as assistant coach following the Lord's loss. Mike Hesson, who was serving as Pakistan's white-ball coach, has been elevated to the head coaching role, while former Australia seamer Ashley Noffke has joined as assistant coach. Simultaneously, seven players were dropped from the squad, including Muhammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Khurram Shahzad, Aamir Jamal and Muhammad Awais Jafar.

Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar has reacted to the dramatic developments, saying he was not surprised by the PCB’s decision-making. He revealed that a PCB official had told him that Pakistan cricket was on a ventilator.

“The PCB itself was very disappointed by these people and they don’t expect anything from this Pakistan squad. 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,” Akhtar said as quoted by Indian Express.

“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. Nothing. We have expectations from the next generation of players that we are preparing for the big stage,” he added.

Akhtar also revealed that he was in Lahore during the second Test and had visited the National Cricket Academy (NCA), where he saw the work being done to improve the facility’s infrastructure.

“After 26 years, there is work being done at the academy now,” Akhtar said.

When asked whether the Pakistan team appeared to be in a state of disarray, Akhtar responded bluntly.

“What is the shock there? Didn’t you expect that?,” said Akhtar.

Asked about Pakistan’s failure to put up a fight, the former pacer added, “We didn’t have the fight in us.”