Pakistan's Salman Agha, second right, is congratulated by teammates for taking a brilliant catch to dismiss England's Jordan Cox during the second cricket test match between England and Pakistan in London, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)Former Pakistan cricketer Saeed Ajmal has criticised Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for their unprecedented decision to sack seven players in the middle of the England series besides also sending home head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and his assistant Umar Gul with one final Test left to play at Edgbaston.Ajmal’s comments came when he was responding to comments made by PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi in an interview where Naqvi said that he would “not allow anyone to blame the players for the sake of it” and also asked everyone to “stop demotivating the players. It is unfair.”“The board itself has demotivated the players more than anyone else. The board is not letting any player stand. There are players who have done well, who are also dropped. There are players who have been humiliated by PCB. Aaqib Javed (Pakistan selector) and Mike Hesson (Pakistan white-ball coach who has been asked to take over the Test team for the third Test) are a team. These two are controlling everything and are responsible for this whole mess. The whole issue is about egos,” said Ajmal on a show for Samaa TV.“Our team has gone back by 10 years. We have not planned for the future,” he added. File image of Pakistan’s head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed during a nets session in London, England ahead of the second Test Cricket Match between England and Pakistan. (PA via AP)Ajmal’s comments came days after Naqvi had given a long interview to Geo Network after the sacking of seven players.“Every match of a series is important for us and we are not left with any option if a player is not performing but to look for his replacement. The purpose behind these changes is not to axe players from contention, but just to replace them. Consider [Salman] Agha who is a very good player, but he could not click because of some reasons. He was spoken to about it,” Naqvi had said justifying the PCB decision.ALSO READ | ‘Look at yourself first’: Azhar Ali tears into Aaqib Javed over Pakistan slumpStory continues below this ad“Everyone has a right to criticise performances, but they portray these losses as terminal. It is not acceptable for those [former] players who have not achieved anything in life to push this narrative. I seek advice from former cricketers from time to time and I feel that we are doing poorly in Test cricket. We have had a discussion to ascertain the reasons behind it. They include factors beyond performance and we will get to the bottom of it … I would not allow anyone to blame the players for the sake of it and ask everyone to stop demotivating the players. It is unfair,” Naqvi had said before claiming that the criticism was amplified in a bid to get rid of him as the PCB chief.“They want to get rid of me [with this criticism], but let me share some facts,” he said. “We have jumped to number five from eight in ODIs and won four of the six series since we have appointed the new coaching set-up [under Mike Hesson]. We were ninth in T20Is and now sit at sixth and our success rate has climbed to 73% from 24. Yet, there is criticism that cricket is finished in the country,” Naqvi had said.On Monday, PCB announced an “internal disciplinary inquiry”. PCB media director Amir Mir announced that the board’s disciplinary inquiry was “following media reports concerning discipline and conduct, which are currently being reviewed internally.” He did not specify what the inquiry was about.ALSO READ | Misbah-ul-Haq slams Pakistan’s double standards: ‘Soft corner for foreign coaches’Story continues below this ad“The PCB handles such matters in accordance with its standard procedures. The process is being conducted under PCB regulations, ensuring that all concerned individuals are given due consideration,” Mir said in a statement on X.“At this stage, any speculative reports or unverified claims circulating on certain platforms, particularly those originating from hostile external sources, should not be regarded as credible. The PCB will not comment further at this time. The Board advises stakeholders and the public to rely on official PCB communications.”Muhammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Khurram Shahzad, Aamir Jamal and Muhammad Awais Jafar were sent home to Pakistan with one final Test still left in the tour. Of these seven, the latter two did not play in any game but were still penalised. In their place, Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal, who have played for Pakistan before, and Arafat Minhas, Mohammed Imran Jr, Said Baig, Mohammad Imran and Razaullah were called up.