5 min readUpdated: Sep 6, 2026 08:00 PM IST
Former Pakistan leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed, who is the current Bangladesh spin coach, has said that he is open to taking over as Pakistan cricket team coach, but has spoken about the ‘fear’ of being in that role given the uncertainty that comes along with being on that particular hot seat.
A recent example of how impulsive the decision-making can be from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) came when the board decided to send home seven players from a tour of England after they lost the second Test at Lord’s. The decision caused a stir, because there was a matter of the final Test still left to be played, but PCB instead sent to England seven replacement players, which included five uncapped players.
When Mushtaq Ahmed was asked on the BBC Stumped Podcast if he would be open to coaching Pakistan he said: “I would love to do that for my country, of course. Especially at this time. Obviously, I need only one thing. Sometimes you get scared of working for your own country when the people don’t respect you and they sack you because of a few emotional decisions here and there… When you see those things, people getting sacked on a tour, you get worried and scared.”
PCB had shipped back seven players from the squad that was in England after the defeat at Lord’s, replacing them with seven others (including five uncapped players). PCB also banished head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and his assistant Umar Gul with Pakistan white-ball coach Mike Hesson and former Australia seamer Ashley Noffke taking charge for the final Test.
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.
Pakistan’s Salman Agha, second right, is congratulated by teammates for taking a 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)
“I think those are the things that if you can get that sorted, I think every Pakistani cricketer who is coaching, not only myself, they’d love to serve the country. This is the best time for me to take that challenge and bring those players to their best, make them confident about international cricket and make a unit that can actually challenge opposition teams,” said Mushtaq.
Pakistan are in shambles at the moment, having lost the three-Test series against England with one final Test left because they lost the first Test at Headingley by an innings and 103 runs and then the second Test to England at Lord’s by 194 runs.
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Mushtaq spoke about the PCB decision to remove seven players and the coaching staff mid-tour.
“Changing seven players and the management, especially with the tour still going on, I feel that this is not the right thing,” Mushtaq said before adding that he was waiting for an explanation about why the Pakistan board had made those tough decisions.
“This has never happened in Pakistan cricket before. Obviously I’m hurt as an ex-cricketer, as a Pakistani, these things should not happen. Sarfaraz and Umar Gul, they are some of the most experienced cricketers. They serve the country very well. Sarfaraz was a captain also. If you want to sack them, obviously you have to sack them after the tour,” Mushtaq said. “This is the time to stay calm, don’t make rash decisions.”
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Mushtaq also suggested that PCB call upon former Pakistan cricketers and make a committee of ex-cricketers
“Cricketers and captains who have led Pakistan through bad times in the past, you have to bring them to the table and ask them their opinion. Because if you don’t bring in the right people for the right job, you’re going to get these things. You need to have expert people, professional people for professional jobs.”