Pakistan Cricket in Crisis: Drastic Overhaul Follows Heavy Defeat to England

Pakistan cricket has plunged into a deep crisis following another crushing defeat against a top-tier opponent. While turbulence is nothing new for the South Asian giants, the fallout from the second Test against England at Lord's proved unprecedented. Following heavy losses by an innings and 103 runs in the opener and by 194 runs in the second match, the team management took the drastic step of axing seven players and the head coach.

Departing the setup were former captains Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha, alongside opener Imam-ul-Haq, Ali Usman, Aamer Jamal, Awais Zafar, and Khurram Shahzad. Sarfaraz Ahmed, who had been appointed Test head coach in April, was replaced by white-ball coach Mike Hesson. Meanwhile, five uncapped players have been called up for the third Test in Birmingham.

This marks another low point for a Test side that has struggled significantly, even as the white-ball teams have fared somewhat better. Former Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur criticized the management's knee-jerk decisions on X, noting that constant chopping and changing of players, coaches, and selectors prevents any lasting stability.

A closer look at recent performances reveals staggering struggles in the longest format alongside respectable achievements in T20 cricket. Pakistan have lost 15 of their last 20 Tests, including 10 of their last 11 away matches, and failed to make the knockout stages of the 2023 ODI World Cup as well as the 2024 and 2026 T20 World Cups. The team has also seen 11 coaching changes and rotated the captaincy among seven players across formats since 2021.

Conversely, Pakistan maintain a competitive T20 record with 31 wins and 22 losses over the last two seasons, highlighted by reaching the 2025 Asia Cup final and sweeping Australia 3-0 in Lahore earlier this year. Individual brilliance is also evident, with spinner Abrar Ahmed and opening batter Sahibzada Farhan ranking second in their respective ICC categories, while Babar Azam sits sixth in the ODI batting table.

Ultimately, while Pakistan remain competitive in white-ball formats—ranking fifth in ODIs and sixth in T20s compared to eighth in Tests—the constant fear surrounding job security and the lack of stability threaten any chance of long-term success.