In the midst of the Test series in England, the Pakistan Cricket Board sent seven players back and fired two trainers, drawing harsh criticism from previous players. In the three-match series, Pakistan was soundly defeated in the first two Test matches. In the first Test of the series, the tourists lost by an innings and 103 runs, and in the second Test, they were soundly defeated by 194 runs.
Senior batsman Imamul Haq, former captain Muhammad Rizwan, and national T20 skipper Salman Ali Agha were among the players sent home. For the third Test, which begins on September 9 in Birmingham, the seven have mostly been replaced by new players and uncapped individuals. Additionally fired were bowling coach Umar Gul and head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed.
The Pakistan Cricket Board dismissed seven players from the team in reaction to the subpar performance: Muhammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar, and Khurram Shahzad.
In addition, the board dismissed bowling coach Umar Gul and head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed. Ashley Noffke and Mike Hesson will now lead the team in the last game. Saim Ayub, Abdullah Fazal, Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Imran Junior, Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran, and Razaullah are among the replacements added to the team.
The way these adjustments were implemented has drawn harsh criticism from former Pakistani captain Shoaib Malik. Geo Super quotes Malik saying, “The players dropped from the squad are still our national cricketers who have served Pakistan. Phrases like ‘sent on the first flight back’ are disrespectful. Accountability should start with those who broke the system, not with players specially those who were on the bench or have played 2-3 test matches. Plus accountability starts once a tour is done not in the middle of it.”
Pakistan’s team for the third Test match against England:
Captain Babar Azam, Abdullah Fazal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Muhammad Abbas, Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Imran, Muhammad Imran Jr., Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Razaullah, Saad Baig (wk), Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, and Ubaid Shah
