Speaking at Edgbaston on Tuesday, on the eve of the third Test against England, Babar Azam said the sweeping changes had not been discussed with him.
“It was news to me as well. I only found out about these things later.”
“The PCB made the decisions, so I think they would be better placed to explain them.”
Seven players sent home mid-series
The PCB dropped seven players from the touring squad after Pakistan’s 194-run defeat at Lord’s, an outcome that handed England an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Among those axed were three of the team’s most senior campaigners: Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq and Salman Ali Agha. Five of the replacements flown to the United Kingdom were uncapped at Test level.
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Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were dismissed at the same time. White-ball head coach Mike Hesson has taken interim charge of the red-ball side, with Ashley Noffke installed as bowling coach. The board’s high-performance director Aaqib Javed, who also sits on the selection panel, has said the calls were taken outside the dressing room.
Naqvi defends the reset
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi has publicly backed the overhaul as an overdue reset for Pakistan’s Test setup, framing the promotion of younger players as strategic rather than punitive. Speaking earlier this month, he also dismissed as “unreasonable” the suggestion that cricket in Pakistan is finished, pointing to improvements in international rankings during his tenure.
Babar praised the incoming players without endorsing the process that brought them.
“Yes, a surprise for us. But the new players are coming. They have a golden opportunity to grab and play this game.”
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He was blunt about the Lord’s defeat.
“If we talk about the last match, we didn’t play well as a team in all three areas, batting, bowling and fielding.”
Hesson’s rebuild starts at Edgbaston
The reshuffled Pakistan side begins the third and final Test at Edgbaston on Wednesday, a dead rubber in series terms but the first live audition for the group Hesson has been handed. The match runs to 13 September.
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