The Pakistan cricket team reached a new low in its history after suffering a humiliating 2-0 Test series defeat at home to Bangladesh. The visitors dominated Pakistan, achieving one of their most remarkable victories ever. While individual players have faced criticism from fans and experts, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has not escaped blame. Former Pakistan cricketer Rashid Latif believes the PCB and its recent chairmen bear the majority of responsibility for the team's downfall.
Speaking on his show "Caught Behind," Latif stated, "Every chairman who has come in the past four years has contributed to the destruction of Pakistan cricket." He criticised the decisions made by the PCB leadership, questioning their role in reshuffling team captains and dividing the squad.
Latif expressed frustration with the PCB’s decision to appoint Shan Masood as the Test captain and remove Babar Azam from his leadership role. He questioned, "Who made him (Shan) captain? Who removed Babar? Who divided the team?" Latif further criticised the current chairman, accusing him of focusing more on interviews than addressing the team's struggles.
The PCB's approach to leadership changes, particularly the removal of Babar Azam from the captaincy across all formats before reinstating him as the white-ball captain, has been widely criticised. Latif also pointed fingers at former PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf, who replaced Babar with Shaheen Afridi as the T20I and ODI skipper.
Latif questioned, "Whose responsibility is it to form the team—Zaka Ashraf's or Misbah's?" He criticised the involvement of Misbah-ul-Haq, who served as an advisor to Ashraf and headed a cricket committee. Latif argued that it was Ashraf who made the decisions about team selection and captaincy, and now blames Babar for the team's poor performance.
Latif accused the PCB of forcing Babar Azam to resign, leading to the team's fragmentation. He claimed that appointing Shan Masood as captain was done for personal reasons, ultimately causing the team's collapse. "Now that the team is broken, how will those responsible be held accountable?" Latif asked.
He further pointed out that the chairman's role should not be honorary and called for changes to the PCB Constitution, ensuring that chairmen do not have the power to appoint captains or form selection committees. Latif concluded, "The entire power is in the hands of the chairman, but they know nothing about cricket."