Usama Mir‘s enigmatic comments were made shortly after the Pakistan Cricket Board made significant adjustments in the middle of the series in response to two crushing losses to England.
Usama Mir’s subtle critique of team management and PCB
After consecutive Test losses in August 2026, Pakistan’s tour of England turned into chaos. The team was defeated by England by 194 runs at Lord’s on August 27 after losing the first Test at Headingley on August 19 by an innings and 103 runs. In the second Test, Pakistan’s batting collapse was especially severe; when chasing 389, the team was bowled out for 110 in the first innings and 194 in the second.
The Pakistan Cricket Board responded to these consecutive losses by making significant changes to the team and coaching staff in front of the third Test, which is set to start on September 9 at Edgbaston in Birmingham.
Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar, and Khurram Shahzad were among the seven players discharged by the PCB. In an effort to save the tour, the board also changed bowling coach Umar Gul and head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed.
The well-known Hindi-Urdu proverb describes a circumstance in which sorrow or action is only communicated after the harm has already been done. In neither of his posts, Mir mentioned the PCB or any specific person.
Ashley Noffke was hired by the PCB to bolster the backroom staff and Mike Hesson was selected to head the Test team. Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal were among the seven replacements called up to the team, but five of the new players had not previously played Test cricket.
Mir’s remarks brought to light the conflict between the board’s reactive reorganisation and more general worries about how the team’s management and preparation had contributed to the early Test defeats. The new-look Pakistan team would have a chance to react under new leadership during the third Test at Edgbaston.
