Pakistan drop 7 players, release coaches after Lord’s Test loss to England
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Pakistan drop 7 players, release coaches after Lord’s Test loss to England Photograph: (Others)
Pakistan drop seven players—including Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq—and release red-ball coaches after a crushing Lord's Test loss to England. See the updated 3rd Test squad.
Pakistan has taken stern steps after losing the second Test at Lord’s and conceding the three-match series against England (2-0). Pakistan dropped seven players from the squad for the third Test at Edgbaston and also released coaches Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul. This shocking overhaul came on the back of Pakistan’s 194-run loss in the second match, having been dismissed for the fourth time consecutively inside 200.
While Pakistan sent home seven key players, including Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Agha, Ali Usman, Aamer Jamal, Awais Zafar, and Khurram Shahzad, they recalled as many, including Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal among several rookies. Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke, the head coach and the bowling coach in the white-ball setup, have been asked to take over the coaching duties for the final Test.
The five uncapped players picked for the Edgbaston Test are Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran Randhawa, and Razaullah.
Pakistan Test squad for the third Test -
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 (wk), Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah
While regular captain Babar Azam was also under the scanner for his poor outing in his comeback Test, he retained his place as the skipper and marquee batter, with Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique also holding onto their spots. Opener Azan Awais, who was Pakistan’s best batter in the first innings at Lord’s, has also retained his place.
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High-Profile Omissions
Imam-ul-Haq, who suffered a left calf strain and was ruled out of the Test, is among those sent home. Salman Ali Agha, who took over the captaincy duties in Babar’s absence in the Headingley Test, has followed, while the left-arm spinner Ali Usman has been shown the door. All-rounder Khurram Shahzad, who was expensive during his run in the first two Tests, has joined them.
However, the biggest name on the list was that of gloveman Mohammad Rizwan. Even though he was impressive behind the wickets, standing close to seamer Mohammad Abbas, his returns with the bat, and most importantly, his manner of dismissals led to his exit. Rizwan scored 7, 1, 12 and 41 in four outings.
Meanwhile, white-ball opener Saim Ayub hasn’t played any cricket for Pakistan since the T20 World Cup exit in February. Although inconsistency hasn’t been the major factor, fitness kept the selectors sceptical about his selection.
The third Test will begin on Wednesday (Sep 9).
