Naqvi says PCB had no option but to sack Sarfaraz and Gul

PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi defended the decision to remove head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul after Pakistan lost the Lord's Test by 194 runs. Naqvi said the board had no option when players did not perform. The changes form part of a broader restructuring after Pakistan's series defeat in England.

Naqvi also pushed back against critics who questioned the timing of the dismissals. He pointed out that other teams have also lost matches recently and argued that Pakistan cricket is not finished. The third Test against England is scheduled to begin on 9 September.

The chairman compared Pakistan's results to India's defeat against Ireland and South Africa's loss to Namibia, saying those outcomes did not signal the end of cricket in those countries either.