London, August 31: The Pakistan cricket team suffered a significant defeat against England at Lord’s, losing the second Test match by 194 runs. In response, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) took decisive action, removing seven players from the team the very next day. Additionally, changes were made to the coaching staff.
These changes come as Pakistan trails 0-2 in the three-match series and has lost five of its last six Test matches. The PCB has dismissed former white-ball captain Salman Ali Agha, wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, and opening batsman Imam-ul-Haq, along with Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar, and Khurram Shahzad.
In a statement released on Monday, the PCB announced, “The Pakistan Cricket Board has today declared that seven players have been removed from the Test team following the Lord’s Test. A total of seven new players have been included in the squad, comprising five uncapped and two capped players.”
Among the newly added players are batsmen Sam Ayub and Abdullah Fazal, who have previously played in the first Test, along with left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Arafat Minhas. Uncapped players Mohammad Imran Junior, Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran, and Rajauallah will also join the team ahead of the third Test starting on September 9 in Birmingham.
The board stated, “The newly announced players include batsman Sam Ayub and Abdullah Fazal, who have played eight and two Test matches respectively, while left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Arafat Minhas has played three ODIs and four T20s for Pakistan. The remaining four players include left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Imran Junior, wicketkeeper-batsman and Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2025-26 ‘Player of the Tournament’ Saad Baig, along with right-arm pace-bowling all-rounders Mohammad Imran and Rajauallah.”
These changes extend beyond just the playing squad; following the team’s poor performance, red-ball head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul have been relieved of their duties. During this challenging period, Babar Azam was appointed Test captain in place of Shan Masood. The responsibilities for the remainder of the tour will be managed by white-ball head coach Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke.
The revised Test squad for the Birmingham Test includes: Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Fazal, Arafat Minhas, Azaan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Imran, Mohammad Imran Junior, Muhammad Ghazi Gori (wicketkeeper), Rajauallah, Saad Baig (wicketkeeper), Sam Ayub, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, and Ubaid Shah.
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