Former England captain Nasser Hussain came out in support of Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi, stating that management is the real responsible for Pakistan cricket’s downfall. He pointed out that the instability behind the scenes is doing far more damage than any individual player’s form.
Nasser Hussain’s stern criticism against the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) came after the exclusion of Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah from the squad for the remaining two Test matches against England.
Read More: PCB Issues Show-Cause Notice To Fakhar Zaman Over Defending Babar Azam
“It’s Not the Players, It’s the System”
Nasser Hussain, while speaking on Sky Sports, highlighted the frequent changes in Pakistan’s cricket leadership. From coaches to captains to selectors, the constant chopping and changing, he says, makes it impossible for the team to plan effectively for the future.
“The issue is not Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, or Naseem Shah,” Hussain said during his broadcast. “The issue is behind the scenes in the way Pakistan cricket runs.”
And he’s not wrong. How can any team expect to perform consistently when the structure keeps changing? Hussain pointed out that while England has had two or three selectors in recent years, Pakistan has cycled through 26 or 27.
“In the paper, I saw there were 26 different selectors; in another, it said 27. Nobody can keep count. How many have England had? Two or three, maybe. But if you keep changing selectors, coaches, captains-constantly shuffling leadership-it’s impossible to plan ahead,” he added.
“No successful business or sports team works that way. When you operate with short-term thinking, you show up unprepared, and by the time you lose the first Test, you’re already scrambling for solutions.”
Read More: PCB Refutes Rumours Of Third Test Moving Out Of Rawalpindi
Financial Struggles Add to the Pressure
It’s not just the constant turnover in leadership that Hussain highlighted. He also touched on Pakistan’s financial struggles compared to wealthier cricket boards. The sport’s “Big Three” – India, Australia, and England – have the financial muscle to build and sustain long-term plans.
Pakistan, on the other hand, often finds itself playing catch-up, scraping together resources where it can. But, as Hussain pointed out, while financial constraints are a legitimate challenge, the internal issues within Pakistan cricket often make things worse.
“Their cricket and some of it, you give them a bit of leeway because of the way the finances of the world game have gone with the big three, and they’re picking up the scraps like other nations are. So I really feel for Pakistan cricket and we mustn’t be too harsh on them, but at times, they shoot themselves in the foot,” Hussain remarked.
Yes, financial challenges exist, but Hussain’s message was clear: stop shooting yourselves in the foot. Pakistan has the talent – Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah – but until the system itself is fixed, that talent will continue to struggle.
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