Pakistan's tour of England has reached a new low with the immediate removal of head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and seven players from the 16-man touring party. These changes come after a heavy defeat at Lord's, with Pakistan heading to Birmingham for the final Test seeking to avoid a 3-0 series whitewash.
The discarded players include wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, opener Imam-ul-Haq, spinner Ali Usman, and middle-order batsman Salman Agha, who captained the team in the first Test. New Zealander Mike Hesson, already overseeing Pakistan's white-ball team, will take over as head coach. Ashley Noffke, an Australian, replaces Umar Gul as bowling coach.
Among the new additions are batsmen Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal, and spin-bowling all-rounder Arafat Minhas, who has yet to make his Test debut.
The wholesale changes reflect a chaotic tour marked by poor on-field performances, with Pakistan failing to score 200 in any of their four innings. Earlier in the tour, reports emerged that the team had considered refusing to return to the dressing room after lunch on the first day of the Lord's Test, in protest over a broadcast interview concerning the sons of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Imam-ul-Haq sustained a calf injury at Lord's, preventing him from batting in either innings. Mohammad Rizwan was dismissed twice attempting aggressive shots against England's fast bowlers.
The Pakistan squad for the third Test at Edgbaston is as follows: Babar Azam (capt), Abdullah Fazal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Imran, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wkt), Razaullah, Saad Baig (wkt), Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, Ubaid Shah.