Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Pakistan have responded to their England Test series humiliation with a sweeping overhaul, releasing seven players from the squad ahead of the third and final Test in Birmingham.
The Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed that Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad have been sent home after the Lord’s Test. The changes come after England sealed a 2-0 series lead with a 194-run victory at Lord’s.
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“The Pakistan Cricket Board has today announced that seven players have been released from the Test squad following completion of the Lord’s Test,” the PCB wrote in a statement on Monday.
The decision represents a major reset for a Pakistan side that has struggled badly with the bat during the series. They were bowled out for 110 in their first innings at Lord’s and could not mount a serious challenge while chasing 389, eventually being dismissed for 194.
The PCB has brought in seven replacements, including five players yet to make their Test debuts. Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal return with Test experience, while Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran and Razaullah have been added to the squad.
SARFARAZ, GUL ALSO AXED AS PCB GOES FOR A RESET
The changes extend beyond the playing squad. Test head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul have also been relieved of their duties.
They will be replaced by Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke, who will take charge of the Test team’s backroom staff for the final match. Hesson is already Pakistan’s white-ball head coach, while Noffke has been working with the national setup.
The timing could hardly be more dramatic. Pakistan had entered the England series with Babar Azam as captain, but two heavy defeats have now triggered wholesale changes before the series has even finished.
The final Test begins in Birmingham on September 9, giving the new-look squad an immediate opportunity to respond.
For Pakistan, this is no longer simply about avoiding a 3-0 series defeat. The PCB has made it clear that the Lord’s humiliation has consequences, and the overhaul could mark the beginning of a much wider rethink of the Test setup.
Updated Test squad for Birmingham Test
Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Fazal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Imran, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wicket-keeper), Razaullah, Saad Baig (wicket-keeper) Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
