"Made It Worse": England Great Accuses Mohsin Naqvi's PCB Of Making Pakistan A 'Laughing Stock'
The PCB offloaded seven players and some members of the team management, including head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed, following the 194-run loss to England in the Lord's Test last week.
- Nasser Hussain is the latest to join the chorus amid growing criticism of the Pakistan Cricket Board
- Ex-England captain Hussain suggested that Pakistan has become a laughing stock due to the PCB's recent actions
- "What they have done now is make them a laughingstock. They have made it worse," said Hussain
Former England captain Nasser Hussain is the latest to join the chorus amid growing criticism of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which has come under scrutiny for throwing its own players under the bus during the ongoing Test series against England. The PCB offloaded seven players and some members of the team management, including head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed, following the 194-run loss to England in the Lord's Test last week. The Mohsin Naqvi-led board is also planning strict action against two players in particular: Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Rizwan.
Imam has been accused of faking an injury on Day 1 of the first Test, which prevented him from batting in either innings, while Rizwan has come in for criticism over his lack of discipline.
Amid all this, former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq also resigned from his role as a selector in response to the PCB's mass sackings.
Speaking on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, Hussain suggested that Pakistan has become a laughing stock due to the PCB's recent actions.
"I don't think after Headingley that the world was laughing at Pakistan. My rant at Lord's about them not fighting back, about India vs Pakistan games being very one-sided and that they were a poor side playing poorly wasn't laughing at them," said Hussain.
"It was out of frustration of seeing where this great cricketing nation is now. What they have done now is make them a laughingstock. They have made it worse," he added.
Speaking on the controversy surrounding Imam, who was criticised by the PCB's director of high performance, Aaqib Javed, Hussain said that the players should be looked after and shown more respect.
"I cannot believe how a director of high performance can go on telly, rightly or wrongly, and throw a player under the bus. He is either injured or he is not," said Hussain.
"For every other touring side, if we ask how a player is doing, they would say, 'he has had a scan and will only bat if needed'. The whole handling of the Imam situation is ridiculous. You have to protect your players a little bit," he added.
Pakistan Cricket Team
England Cricket Team
Imam-ul-Haq