Pakistan overhaul Test squad after England clinch series

Pakistan have made sweeping changes to their Test squad and coaching staff after England sealed the three-match series with back-to-back victories. The Pakistan Cricket Board released seven players following Sunday’s 194-run defeat at Lord’s, while head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul have also left the touring party.

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BBC Sport reported that white-ball head coach Mike Hesson will take charge of the Test side for the final match, with Australian coach Ashley Noffke replacing Gul. The third Test is scheduled to begin at Edgbaston on September 9, when Pakistan will attempt to avoid a 3-0 series defeat.

Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad are the seven players released. Five of that group appeared in the first two Tests, while Jamal and Zafar did not play during the tour. Imam carried a low-grade calf injury during the Lord’s match.

Seven replacements have been added to the squad. Batters Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal are the only newcomers with previous Test experience. Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran — also known as Imran Randhawa — and Razaullah are uncapped at Test level, according to reporting by Sky Sports and the Guardian.

The overhaul follows two emphatic England wins. Pakistan lost the opening Test at Headingley by an innings and 103 runs before the 194-run defeat at Lord’s put England 2-0 ahead. Pakistan failed to reach 200 in any of their four innings across those matches, while Mohammad Abbas took nine wickets in the second Test.

Babar Azam remains captain of the revised 17-player squad. Salman had led Pakistan in the first Test while Babar was injured, before being left out at Lord’s. The selectors have now reshaped almost half of the touring group for the series finale, with the five uncapped additions facing a short preparation window before the match in Birmingham.