Aaqib Javed calls resignation reports fake news after 3-0 loss in England

Aaqib Javed says he is going nowhere. Asked about reports that he had resigned or was about to be removed from the Pakistan Cricket Board, the senior national selector replied to Dawn on 15 September with five words: "No resignation, it's fake news."

The PCB has not issued a statement on his position.

Why the question is being asked

Pakistan have just been whitewashed 3-0 in England, the first time England have swept a home Test series against Pakistan:

The defeat left Pakistan at the bottom of the World Test Championship table, according to Dawn.

The tour also produced the biggest mid-series clear-out in years. On 1 September, after the Lord's defeat, the PCB replaced head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul with Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke, and sent seven players home: Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad.

What the reports say

• Aaqib's jobs: he is senior national selector and the PCB's director of high performance, a role he was given on 13 May 2025.
• PTI report, 15 September: Aaqib is expected to be released as senior selector, and Wahab Riaz is expected to leave his role as women's team mentor after the Asian Games. The report quotes an unnamed internal source as saying PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi now thinks "radical measures" are needed.
• Earlier PTI report, 4 September: Aaqib was likely to be told to focus on development work at the high performance centre in Lahore, and a new selection committee was expected after the tour.
• Misbah-ul-Haq, who sat on the same selection panel, has resigned.

Aaqib, a member of the 1992 World Cup-winning side who played 22 Tests and 163 ODIs, has defended the changes made in England, arguing that the team failed to compete and needed a change of mindset.

What it means for Pakistan cricket

Two things can be true at once. Aaqib says he has not resigned, and reports say the board is weighing whether to keep him as a selector. The first is on the record; the second rests on unnamed sources. Until the PCB speaks, the selection panel that picks Pakistan's next Test squad is an open question.

What is not in doubt is the calendar. Babar Azam is back in first-class cricket in Peshawar, Pakistan's men and women are heading to the Asian Games in Japan, and the Test side needs a new direction after England.

Keep up

• Read our guide to Pakistan's Asian Games 2026 squad and dates.
• Look back at Pakistan's T20 World Cup record and results.
• Following the rupee if you plan to travel for cricket? Check it on our dollar rate page.