|
Pakistan have made major changes to their Test set-up ahead of the third and final Test against England, replacing almost half of their squad and releasing head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul following heavy defeats in the first two Tests against Three Lions, according to Cricinfo.
The changes come after Pakistan suffered a 194-run defeat in the second Test, allowing England to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. Pakistan have brought in five uncapped players along with Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal, who have a combined experience of just 10 matches. The five uncapped players added to the squad are Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran Randhawa and Razaullah. Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke, who are part of Pakistan's white-ball coaching set-up as head coach and bowling coach respectively, have also joined the Test coaching staff, the report added. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have released seven players from the squad, including Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Agha, Ali Usman, Aamer Jamal, Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad. Pakistan have gone through several major overhauls in recent years, but making such extensive changes midway through a Test series is an unusual move. Rizwan had faced criticism amid a decline in his batting form. While he impressed behind the stumps in the ongoing England tour, particularly with his glovework while standing up to speedster Mohammad Abbas, his performances with the bat remained underwhelming. The keeper-batter scored seven and one at Lord's (second Test) before making 12 and 41 at Headingley (first Test). Imam-ul-Haq, meanwhile, suffered a Grade 1 tear in his left calf after the opening day's play at Lord's and did not take the field during either of Pakistan's innings, according to Cricinfo. His absence also drew considerable criticism. Before the start of the fourth day's play, Imam was seen at the Lord's outfield taking gentle throwdowns while his injured leg was heavily strapped. The sight prompted criticism, with former cricketer Stuart Broad suggesting the exercise may have been carried out for appearances. Salman Agha, Pakistan's T20I captain, was also left out of the Lord's Test after being dropped following his stint as stand-in captain at Headingley. His omission was reportedly linked to a dip in his batting form, the Cricinfo report stated. The defeat at Lord's was Pakistan's 15th in the last 20 Tests. They currently sit at the bottom of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 standings. The third Test will begin at Edgbaston on September 9, with Pakistan aiming to end the series on a positive note and avoid a 3-0 clean sweep. Pakistan squad for Birmingham Test against England: Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Fazal, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Imran, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Razaullah, Saad Baig (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique, Ubaid Shah. (ANI)
|
