The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is facing renewed scrutiny after making sweeping changes to the national Test team during its ongoing series against England. Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has questioned the board’s approach, accusing it of effectively trying to run the team through “remote control” and raising concerns over the authority given to coaches and the captain.
The controversy intensified after Pakistan lost the first two Tests against England. Instead of continuing with the existing squad and coaching set-up, the PCB carried out a major reshuffle, sending seven players and two members of the coaching staff back to Pakistan. The move has triggered criticism from several former players and prominent figures in international cricket.
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Among the players sent home were senior names Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha. Test coach Sarfaraz Ahmed was also removed from the set-up, while white-ball coach Mike Hesson was handed charge for the third and final Test in Birmingham.
Latif questioned the reasoning behind sending Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul to England if the PCB intended to maintain such direct control over the team. He also referred to the earlier departures of Jason Gillespie and Gary Kirsten, both of whom had stepped down after disagreements over their authority and freedom within the Pakistan set-up.
Babar Azam Also Drawn Into Controversy
Latif’s criticism also focused on Babar Azam, who returned to the Test captaincy earlier in 2026 after the PCB replaced Shan Masood following Pakistan’s 2-0 series defeat against Bangladesh.
Latif argued that if the captain was unwilling to follow the direction preferred by the PCB, the board should have taken action against the captain rather than sending members of the coaching staff home. His remarks raised a pointed question over whether Babar could become the next major target of the board’s restructuring.
The PCB’s decision has also attracted criticism from several prominent figures, including Michael Atherton, Nasser Hussain, Ramiz Raja, Basit Ali and Shahid Afridi. Critics have suggested that making such drastic changes during a Test series could create further instability for a team already struggling in the longest format.
Pakistan’s Test Struggles Add to Pressure
The upheaval comes amid Pakistan’s continuing difficulties in Test cricket. The team is currently at the bottom of the World Test Championship standings and has not emerged as a serious contender for the WTC final during the current cycle.
The current campaign is also set to be Pakistan’s fourth consecutive WTC cycle in which the team finishes in the bottom half of the standings, underlining the scale of its problems in the longest format.
Babar’s return as Test captain initially appeared to offer some stability, with Pakistan drawing its two-Test series against the West Indies. However, the team’s fortunes worsened in England, where consecutive defeats were followed by the PCB’s dramatic overhaul.
The latest controversy has therefore moved beyond results alone, with growing questions over who ultimately controls Pakistan cricket’s key decisions and how much authority should be given to the captain, coaches and selectors.
