shoaib akhtar and babar azamPakistan cricket appears to be entering a major rebuilding phase after a disastrous start to the England tour, with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) already making significant changes before the three-Test series has even reached its conclusion. England have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead after registering two emphatic victories.

The hosts won the first Test at Headingley by an innings and 103 runs before securing a 194-run triumph at Lord’s. Pakistan’s poor performances have since triggered a major overhaul of the national setup.

Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul have departed the coaching setup, while Mike Hesson has taken charge of the team with former Australia seamer Ashley Noffke joining him as an assistant. The PCB has also made a significant call on the playing group, removing seven players from the squad for the third and final Test.

Among those sent back are senior names such as Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq and Salman Ali Agha, with the board seemingly turning its attention towards a younger generation. Shoaib Akhtar explains PCB's thinkingFormer Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has now offered his assessment of the dramatic changes, claiming the PCB has effectively lost confidence in a large part of the existing squad.

“The PCB itself was very disappointed by these people, and they don’t expect anything from this Pakistan squad. The plan is to remove this squad and replace them with younger and newer blood.

Players who just want to play for Pakistan. They are looking at the future now, and they are working at it in the right way,” Akhtar said.

The former pacer, however, stressed that Pakistan must be careful while making such a transition. “In this transition, I just want Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf’s careers to be saved.

These guys have a lot of cricket left in them,” he said.' Nothing' expected from current Pakistan squadAkhtar also claimed that a conversation with a PCB official gave him a revealing insight into the board's expectations from the current team.

According to the former Pakistan pacer, he asked the official what the PCB expected from the side during its England tour. “Nothing.

We have expectations from the next generation of players that we are preparing for the big stage,” Akhtar quoted the official as saying. Akhtar further claimed that the same official described the state of Pakistan cricket as being “on a ventilator” and believed it could take around two years to revive the national setup.