Hussain Brands Pakistan Cricket a 'Laughing Stock' as Radical Overhaul Backfires Ahead of England Finale

Former England captain Nasser Hussain has launched a scathing attack on the Pakistan Cricket Board's handling of the national team, telling Sky Sports that a wave of radical changes ahead of the series-deciding Test against England has reduced a proud cricketing nation to a 'laughing stock'. The verdict caps a remarkable few weeks of chaos in Pakistani cricket. Humiliated in the first Test at Multan - a result that stretched a dismal home run featuring a shock series defeat to Bangladesh - the PCB responded not with calm but with a sledgehammer. Superstars Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi were axed, the selection set-up was reshuffled once again, and uncertainty spread through the dressing room. Then came the U-turn. Ahead of the final Test in Rawalpindi, the very players discarded weeks earlier were restored to the fold, completing a revolving-door cycle that left Hussain bewildered. In his blunt assessment, the former England skipper questioned how a board could treat its greatest assets as expendable. Babar Azam, widely regarded as one of the finest batters of his generation, was cast aside after a lean patch - a move Hussain sees as emblematic of a system that reacts to every setback with panic rather than planning. Drop your best players for a dip in form, his argument runs, and you send the message that nobody's place is ever safe. The contrast with England could hardly be starker. Under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, England have built their resurgence on unwavering loyalty, backing underperforming stars through rough spells. Pakistan, by comparison, appear to be lurching from crisis to crisis, with captaincy confusion, coaching churn and selection U-turns compounding the on-field struggles. Perhaps most striking is that the upheaval continued even after success. Pakistan levelled the series with a stirring second-Test victory built on the spin of Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, yet the selectors still ripped up the winning formula to recall their biggest names for the decider. For long-suffering Pakistan supporters, Hussain's words will sting precisely because they ring true. A nation that once produced Imran Khan's world champions and Wasim Akram's wizards of reverse swing now finds its cricket framed as a punchline. The Rawalpindi finale offers a chance to change the narrative. A series victory over England would be a genuine achievement. But until the board matches on-field ambition with off-field stability, the fear is that Pakistan's abundant talent will keep being squandered amid the noise - and the laughing stock label, however harsh, will be difficult to shake. (Source: Sky Sports)