Former Pakistani pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar has revealed that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is shifting its focus toward youth development, revealing that board chairman Mohsin Naqvi is unhappy with the performance and talent level of the current senior team.
Speaking on a recent episode of a show, Akhtar said that the PCB is now concentrating its efforts on the Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 age groups, along with the Pakistan A setup. “A minimum of a thousand people are getting ready” across the four categories, he confirmed, adding that the entire process is being carried out under the supervision of chief selector Aqib Javed.
Akhtar explained why Naqvi’s name keeps coming up in the discussions. “His instruction is to prepare a new generation that can serve Pakistan for the next 20 years,” he said, describing it as a deliberate long-term plan rather than a short-term fix.
He was careful to clarify that the move does not mean the current crop of players lacks ability altogether. “I am not saying they are not good enough, but they had enough,” Akhtar said. “Now they want to move forward with younger blood.”
Referring to a co-panelist, Akhtar echoed a point made earlier in the discussion about the timeline for such development programmes. “Jalal bhai said these programmes are never three months long, and they are not even three years long, because they take five years,” he said, suggesting that the PCB’s rebuild is meant to be a sustained, multi-year effort rather than a quick turnaround.
Despite his criticism of the present setup, Akhtar struck a note of cautious optimism about the direction the board is now taking. “I keep saying that the ray of hope I saw a few days ago is still there,” he said. He admitted that his outlook had been bleak until recently. “A few days ago I said we are completely finished, what will happen to us now, because I could not see anything here at all.”
He did not soften his assessment of the senior team’s current standing. “With this Pakistan team, we do not stand anywhere,” he said. He also pointed to a decline in public interest around the national side. “By the way, this Pakistan team’s following is not increasing, it is decreasing.”
It is pertinent to mention that Akhtar’s comments come in the aftermath of Pakistan’s 2-0 Test series defeat to England, which prompted the PCB to take drastic action.
After losing the first Test at Headingley by an innings and 103 runs and the second Test at Lord’s by 194 runs, the board sent seven players and sacked two coaches ahead of the third and final Test in Birmingham. Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were removed from their positions and replaced by white-ball coaches Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke.
Wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, opener Imam-ul-Haq, first Test captain Salman Ali Agha, spinner Ali Usman, pacer Khurram Shahzad, all-rounder Aamer Jamal and batter Awais Zafar were all sent home, with mostly uncapped and younger players brought in as replacements.
The shake-up also led to chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq offering his resignation after saying he had not been consulted on the decision.
