PCB recalls players after England series loss
Pakistan's cricket board recalled nearly half its touring squad right after losing the Lord's Test series to England, a move critics call typical PCB volatility.
England completed a series win over Pakistan on the final day of the Lord's Test last week, with Jofra Archer sending down the occasional rocket in front of a ground that was well short of full. Day-four tickets have become harder to sell in advance, and the finish, by most accounts, played out flat rather than tense.
The sharper moment came after the close. The Pakistan Cricket Board issued an immediate recall of nearly half the touring squad once the match ended, according to the Guardian's Emma John.
Aaqib Javed, Pakistan's director of high performance, sees the recall as a decisive show of authority. Others who know the board's record read it as one more swing in a long run of volatile leadership. John points to a precedent: a previous tour on which Pakistan sent several senior players home a week before the final Test.
She sets the episode against a wider drift in the sport. Short-form franchise leagues have become the main ambition for many professional cricketers.
If that holds, a board's recall list may keep drawing more attention than what happens on the field.
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