Pakistan Cricket Team Makes Dramatic Changes Ahead of Edgbaston Test
Pakistan have torn up their tour script after being mauled at Lord’s, axing seven players and removing both their red-ball head coach and bowling coach in a dramatic mid-series reset ahead of the third Test at Edgbaston.
Two heavy defeats to England — an innings-and-103-run loss at Leeds followed by a 194-run hammering at Lord’s — have left Pakistan 0-2 down in the three-match series and nursing five defeats in their last six Tests. The response from Lahore has been blunt: change everyone, or almost everyone.
Seven players out, seven in
The Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed on Monday that former white-ball captain Salman Ali Agha, senior wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan and opener Imam-ul-Haq are among seven players released from the Test squad after Lord’s. Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad have also been sent home.
In their place come seven replacements, a blend of modest Test experience and raw, untested talent.
Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal, both Test-capped batters, return to the fold. Saim has eight Tests behind him, Abdullah just two, but both now walk into a dressing room stripped of several senior figures and under intense scrutiny. Joining them is left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Arafat Minhas, who has already appeared for Pakistan in three ODIs and four T20Is and now stands on the brink of a Test debut.
Pakistan have also rolled the dice on four uncapped players at Test level: left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Imran Jnr, wicketkeeper-batter Saad Baig — the player of the tournament in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2025-26 — and right-arm pace-bowling all-rounders Mohammad Imran, also known as Imran Randhawa, and Razaullah.
It is not tinkering. It is a clear-out.
Big names under the spotlight
The cull follows growing criticism of several players in the wake of the Lord’s defeat.
Imam-ul-Haq, who missed both innings after suffering a calf injury on the opening day, drew sharp attention when he appeared on the outfield for warm-ups on the fourth morning. The optics jarred with the narrative of unavailability, and the questions quickly followed.
Rizwan, one of Pakistan’s most recognisable modern cricketers, has seen his place come under increasing pressure after another lean outing with the bat. His second-innings dismissal at Lord’s — trapped lbw while attempting a slog — summed up a tour where Pakistan’s shot selection has often looked as fragile as their scorecards.
The PCB’s statement was measured, but the message was unmistakable: reputations no longer shield anyone.
Sarfaraz and Gul removed from red-ball roles
The upheaval is not confined to the playing XI. Red-ball head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul have also been released from their roles mid-tour.
White-ball head coach Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke will now step across to handle backroom responsibilities for the remainder of the England series. It is a rare move, effectively asking the white-ball brains trust to steady a Test side that has just been outplayed twice in succession.
For Sarfaraz and Gul, both high-profile figures in Pakistan cricket, the decision stings. For Hesson and Noffke, it is an immediate trial by fire in English conditions with a shaken squad and a restless public watching closely.
Edgbaston or bust
All of this funnels into one venue and one date: Edgbaston, September 9.
Pakistan cannot win the series, but they can still salvage pride and, perhaps more importantly, clarity about where this Test side is heading. A refreshed squad, a reconfigured coaching team, and a backdrop of scrutiny set the stage.
England smell a clean sweep. Pakistan arrive with new faces, bruised egos, and the knowledge that another collapse will not just be a defeat — it will be a verdict on an entire era of selection and strategy.
