Pakistan Cricket Faces Major Overhaul as Mohsin Naqvi Targets Key Figures
Pakistan cricket is bracing for another jolt of upheaval, with PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi preparing to swing the axe on key decision-makers after a grim run of results and chaotic mid-tour calls.
According to a PTI report, Naqvi is set to introduce sweeping changes in the coming days, targeting the national selection committee and moving to relieve former Test pacer Aaqib Javed of his role as senior selector.
An internal source summed up the mood bluntly: Naqvi has “now realised that some radical measures are required to end the losing streak and abrupt happenings in Pakistan cricket. So these changes are now on the cards.”
Aaqib Javed in the firing line
Aaqib has sat at the heart of several contentious decisions this season. He drove the controversial overhaul of the Test squad earlier this month, in the immediate aftermath of Pakistan’s defeat in the Lord’s Test against England.
That call saw a staggering clear-out: seven players sent home, along with two members of the coaching staff — head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul. The move stunned observers and only deepened criticism of what many see as a revolving-door culture in Pakistan cricket.
Aaqib has already faced heavy scrutiny for repeated reshuffles of coaches and captains. Now, with results failing to justify the turbulence, his position appears untenable.
Wahab Riaz next as PCB sharpens the knife
Aaqib is not the only former fast bowler in danger.
Wahab Riaz, currently working as a mentor with the women’s team, is also expected to be released from his duties. His exit is likely to come after the conclusion of the Asian Games campaign in Japan later this month, as part of a wider reset across both men’s and women’s structures.
The message from the top is clear: no role is safe if the returns are not convincing.
Coaching shake-up and Hesson’s rising influence
The report also sheds light on the PCB’s puzzling decision to change coaches during the high-profile tour of England. That move, it suggests, was not simply a reaction to defeat but also tied to the growing influence of white-ball coach Mike Hesson.
Hesson, already in charge of the limited-overs setup, has shown strong interest in stepping up to an all-format role with the men’s team. His ambition has forced the PCB to rethink its entire coaching map.
Behind the scenes, negotiations have begun with several foreign candidates to take over as head coach of the women’s side after the Asian Games. It signals a shift towards a more international coaching profile, even as the board grapples with instability at home.
Naqvi, the source added, will soon convene a high-level meeting with his close aides and then move to bring governing board members onside before rubber-stamping the changes. The coming days are likely to shape Pakistan cricket’s direction for years, not months.
Hesson’s conditions for the red-ball job
Hesson’s interest, though, comes with conditions.
He has made it clear that he will only take on the red-ball coaching role if he is given time to put his plans in place. He wants a clearly defined tenure and firm guarantees that his cricketing decisions will not be undermined by interference.
For a system long plagued by short-term fixes and political crosswinds, those demands cut to the heart of Pakistan cricket’s recurring problems.
Naqvi now stands at a crossroads: either back his coaches and selectors with real authority or risk watching another reset dissolve into the same old cycle.
