New Delhi, September 6, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Former Pakistan cricketer Atiq-uz-Zaman has launched a scathing attack on the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and chief selector Aaqib Javed, alleging that the national cricket setup has effectively become a “one-man show”.
His remarks came after Pakistan made wholesale changes to its Test squad following a 194-run defeat to England at Lord’s, which left the visitors 2-0 down in the three-match series.
Pakistan dropped seven players — Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Agha, Ali Usman, Aamer Jamal, Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad — and removed red-ball head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul from their positions.
Five uncapped players — Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran Randhawa and Razaullah — were subsequently called up, along with Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal. White-ball head coach Mike Hesson and bowling coach Ashley Noffke have taken charge of the Test side for the third match at Edgbaston from September 9.
Speaking to IANS from England, Atiq-uz-Zaman said he had never witnessed such drastic changes during a Test series.
“I think it’s an unbelievable, ignorant decision by anybody. Performance is not okay. We can understand that Pakistan’s performance is really, really below average — very poor, I would say,” he said.
“But I have never witnessed these kinds of incidents before in my whole cricket career — that team has been changed during the series and the coach has been sent home just for a reason, because he did not listen to somebody’s advice. It’s unbelievable,” he added.
Atiq-uz-Zaman, who played one Test and three ODIs for Pakistan, alleged that Aaqib Javed was making decisions without an adequate process.
“I think the Pakistan Cricket Board has become a one-man show now. I think it’s Aaqib Javed versus whole Pakistan now. So, he is making all decisions by himself,” he said.
He also alleged that public expectations were deliberately being lowered before the England tour, pointing to comments attributed to Javed ahead of Pakistan’s preceding series in the West Indies.
Atiq-uz-Zaman further criticised the selection process, claiming that Pakistan has talented fast bowlers capable of bowling at around 90 mph but that some are overlooked because of favouritism. These were his allegations and were not independently verified.
He also expressed concern over the treatment of players and coaches, arguing that selections should be backed for an entire series before accountability is assessed after the campaign.
On Test captain Babar Azam, Atiq-uz-Zaman said the batter should not have accepted the leadership role amid what he described as an unstable setup.
“If he had taken the captaincy, he should have stood up and said, ‘Okay, if you are sending my coach back, if you are sending my player back, I resign from the captaincy as well,’” he said.
The former cricketer was also sceptical about a quick recovery for Pakistan cricket, calling for qualified professionals to be given greater authority without political interference.
Recalling the tenure of former PCB CEO Wasim Khan, Atiq-uz-Zaman said a structured high-performance system had begun taking shape in 2020, including specialised coaching and performance benchmarks, but claimed the process was later dismantled.
He argued that Pakistan needs a long-term cricketing structure based on expertise, accountability and continuity rather than frequent changes and individual decision-making.
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