Mutiny in the Dressing Room: Pakistan’s T20 World Cup Meltdown Goes Beyond the Scoreboard

Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2026 implosion was painful enough to watch — early exit in the Super 8 stage, unable to pip New Zealand on net run rate despite a tense final-group win over Sri Lanka. But what has emerged since the team returned home is far messier than any scoreline could reflect. Pakistan cricket is in full-blown crisis mode, and the storm is brewing from within.

Multiple players from the 15-man squad reportedly approached Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials — individually, during the tournament itself — to raise complaints against head coach Mike Hesson. Their grievances? A rigid, top-down management style that left the captain sidelined, star players confused, and a dressing room in disarray.

Hesson, the former New Zealand coach who took charge of Pakistan’s white-ball side in May 2025, was reportedly calling the shots on everything from batting orders to playing XI selections — without consulting captain Salman Ali Agha. Insider accounts suggest that key omissions, including Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay, and Abrar Ahmed from the starting line-up until the final Super 8 clash, were Hesson’s unilateral decisions. The selection panel and captain, sources claim, were effectively powerless to push back.

The fallout has been swift and damaging. Veteran selector Aleem Dar resigned from the national selection committee, reportedly citing frustration with Hesson’s sweeping control over player selections — including his insistence on including Babar Azam and Shadab Khan despite performance concerns. Babar, for his part, managed just 90 runs across five matches and was even demoted in the batting order.

The PCB, caught between a contractual obligation — Hesson is signed for two years — and rising player unrest, is reportedly preparing to issue a formal warning to the coach over what officials are calling “flawed planning and unilateral decision-making.” Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has initiated a full review of the squad’s performance, individual players, and the coaching staff.

To compound matters further, Pakistan players were each slapped with a PKR 5 million fine for their tournament performance, while an unnamed squad member faces a separate disciplinary inquiry following an incident involving a female hotel staff member at the team’s base in Pallekele.

The squad for the upcoming ODI series in Bangladesh already signals sweeping changes — Babar Azam, Saim Ayub, Naseem Shah, and Mohammad Nawaz have all been dropped, replaced by a raft of uncapped players. Salman Ali Agha’s position as T20 captain is reportedly under review.

Pakistan cricket has a long and turbulent history with foreign coaches — and Hesson may yet become another chapter in that story. For now, the question is not whether there will be change, but how much of the house gets torn down before rebuilding begins.