India, Sept. 11 -- Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram played devil's advocate, saying the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and its chief Mohsin Naqvi must have decided to send seven players back home after a string of poor performances. Last week, the PCB replaced seven players, including Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, and Imam-ul-Haq, in the Test squad post the losses at Headingley and Lord's against England. Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul were not spared as the duo were replaced inside the dressing room, and Mike Hesson, the white-ball coach, took the reins for the final Test at Birmingham.

The decision to shuffle the squad around drew flak from several corners as the likes of Michael Atherton, Nasser Hussain, Basit Ali and Kamran Akmal, ...