Arthur, Malik Respond To Pakistan's Major Test Changes After Lord’s Defeat

Pakistan are heading into the final Test against England with a very different set-up after the PCB made several changes to the team and coaching staff. Former head coach Mickey Arthur and ex-captain Shoaib Malik have now reacted to the decisions ahead of the Edgbaston match on September 9.

Seven players have been left out of the Test squad, with the same number of replacements added to the group. The move comes as Pakistan look to turn things around after losing the first two matches of the ongoing series in England.

The coaching team has also been changed for the final Test. Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul have both been released from their positions, with Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke stepping in as head coach and bowling coach respectively for the remainder of the series.

Former Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur was unhappy with the PCB's latest decisions and shared his thoughts on social media. He questioned the board's habit of regularly changing players, coaches and selectors, saying the constant changes have played a part in Pakistan's recent problems.

“Absolutely ridiculous decisions by the PCB, this is the reason they are in the mess they are because they constantly chop and change players, coaches and selectors and there is no stability! Planning, stability and structure = consistent performance,” said Mickey Arthur.

Shoaib Malik also spoke out against the PCB's decision to leave several players out of the Test squad. He said the players who were dropped are still Pakistan cricketers who have represented the country.

Malik also raised questions about the timing of the accountability process. He said the focus should first be on the people responsible for the problems within the system, rather than players who have not been given many chances to prove themselves.

"The players dropped from the squad are still our national cricketers who have served Pakistan. Phrases like "sent on the first flight back" are disrespectful," said Shoaib Malik.

"Accountability should start with those who broke the system, not with players specially those who were on the bench or have played 2-3 test matches. Plus accountability starts once a tour is done not in the middle of it," added Shoaib Malik.

Malik also spoke about the pressure players face, saying that regular criticism on social media could make them afraid of making mistakes and affect their confidence.

"Players should not be going through such mental stress and a social media after every bad game or the fear of failure will settle in the minds of our players," added Shoaib Malik.

It should be noted that the latest defeat in Lord’s became the main reason for these sweeping changes, as the green shirts failed badly in both innings of the game. Due to this, England won the match by a big margin, and took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.