{
  "id": 5775867,
  "title": "‘No fight in Pakistan’: Shoaib Akhtar says team will need 2-year-long revival",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/no-fight-in-pakistan-shoaib-akhtar-says-team-will-need-2-year-long",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-05T13:07:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/no-fight-in-pakistan-shoaib-akhtar-says-team-will-need-2-year-long-revival-10864730/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar has expressed his disappointment in the recent developments in Pakistan cricket after the team suffered a 0-2 series defeat against England. According to Akhtar, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) dropped seven players from the squad, replacing them with seven others, including five uncapped players. The PCB also dismissed head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and his assistant Umar Gul, opting instead for Mike Hesson and former Australia seamer Ashley Noffke. Akhtar, who was in Lahore during the second Test, said that the PCB has been disappointed by the current squad and plans to replace them with younger and newer players. He urged for the careers of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf to be saved, as they have a lot of cricket left in them.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}