{
  "id": 5239588,
  "title": "Azhar says lack of vision, instability hurting Pakistan cricket",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/azhar-says-lack-of-vision-instability-hurting-pakistan-cricket",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-03T03:49:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn",
    "slug": "dawn",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2027038/azhar-says-lack-of-vision-instability-hurting-pakistan-cricket"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Pakistan cricket captain Azhar Ali has criticized the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for a lack of vision and instability, which he believes are causing repeated upheavals in the sport within the country. The PCB recently sacked red-ball head coach Sarfraz Ahmed and replaced him with white-ball coach Mike Hesson, leading to the selection committee member Misbah-ul-Haq's resignation and criticism from several former players and coaches. Azhar attributes the cricket board's issues to job security concerns among decision-makers, stating that hard decisions should be made but players need job security and a stable system. He emphasized that while difficult decisions may be necessary, players must feel secure and have their footing before making such choices. Pakistan suffered significant defeats in the first two Tests against England, leaving them with a 2-0 series deficit. Azhar proposed that top cricketers must come together to assess the state of Pakistan cricket and create a long-term plan before proceeding further.",
  "summary": "• Former skipper believes hard decisions should not breed insecurity • PCB chief says criticism ‘personal’ rather than driven by genuine concern KARACHI: Former captain Azhar Ali has blamed a lack of vision, instability and concerns over job security among decision-makers for the repeated upheavals in Pakistan cricket, emphasising the game’s establishment in the country must first identify its…",
  "key_points": [
    "Former Pakistan captain Azhar Ali criticizes PCB for lack of vision and instability.",
    "PCB sacked Sarfraz Ahmed and replaced him with Mike Hesson, causing resignations.",
    "Azhar blames job security concerns for PCB's issues and calls for stable system."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Gulf News",
        "title": "‘Do we get WFH?’ Pakistan Cricket Board advertises fielding coach job on LinkedIn and the replies go viral",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/do-we-get-wfh-pakistan-cricket-board-advertises-fielding-coach-job-on",
        "published": "2026-09-03T01:45:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}