The Pakistan Cricket Board has released seven players from its Test squad in England and removed the head coach mid-series, drawing sharp criticism from former players and coaches (Express Tribune; Geo Super).
What changed
Seven players were sent home: Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad. Seven replacements come in for the third Test.
Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul have been removed. Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke take charge for the third Test, which begins at Birmingham on 9 September.
The series
Pakistan trail 0-2. They lost the first Test by an innings and 120 runs — England’s 409 against 171 and 118 — and the second, at Lord’s, by 194 runs. England have an unassailable lead.
A note on a figure in circulation: some reports have given the first-Test margin as an innings and 103 runs. The arithmetic does not support it. 171 plus 118 is 289; 409 minus 289 is 120.
The criticism
Mickey Arthur, the former Pakistan coach, wrote on X: “Absolutely ridiculous decisions by the PCB, this is the reason they are in the mess they are because they constantly chop and change players, coaches and selectors and there is no stability!”
Shoaib Malik objected to how it was handled rather than to the changes themselves: “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.”
Shahid Afridi questioned the selection logic — “T20 players have been included for a Test match in England?” — and called the removal of the coach after only five Tests the most shocking decision.
Kevin Pietersen, the former England captain, also expressed disbelief at changes made mid-series.
The substance of the objection
The complaint is not that the first two Tests went well. It is that the response to losing them is a squad the selectors had picked weeks earlier being dismantled before it has played a third match — with a coach removed after five Tests in charge, which is not long enough to judge anyone.
