Pakistan Launches Inquiry Amid England Tour Crisis
Pakistan’s already turbulent tour of England has lurched into deeper crisis, with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) opening an internal disciplinary inquiry after a dramatic cull of senior players and coaches left the team reeling before the final Test at Edgbaston.
What began as a poor series has become something far more serious.
Seven players sent home, coaches removed
Heavy defeats at Headingley and Lord’s, which handed England a 2-0 lead in the three-match series, triggered an extraordinary response from the PCB last week: seven players sent home, seven replacements summoned, and a sweeping change in the dressing-room hierarchy.
Among those dismissed was Salman Ali Agha, who captained Pakistan in the opening Test before being dropped for the second. Wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, one of the side’s most senior figures, also departed, as did Imam-ul-Haq, sidelined throughout by a low-grade calf strain and unable to bat in either innings.
The upheaval did not stop with the playing group. Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and assistant Umar Gul have been removed from their roles for the remainder of the tour. In their place, Mike Hesson, already in charge of Pakistan’s white-ball sides, has stepped in, with former Australia seamer Ashley Noffke overseeing preparations and supervision for the Edgbaston Test this week.
The scale of the changes stunned many observers back home. Former captain Shahid Afridi did not mince his words, branding the selection overhaul the “most shocking decision ever by a selection committee”.
Of the seven replacements, only batters Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal have any Test experience, underlining just how abruptly Pakistan have torn up their original plans.
PCB opens inquiry, warns against ‘hostile’ reports
Against that backdrop, the PCB confirmed on Monday that it has launched an internal investigation into “media reports concerning discipline and conduct”.
In a statement, the board said it had “initiated an internal disciplinary inquiry following media reports concerning discipline and conduct, which are currently being reviewed internally,” stressing that such issues are handled under its “standard procedures” and “PCB regulations”, with “all concerned individuals” to be given “due consideration”.
The board also pushed back at speculation swirling around the tour, urging supporters to treat certain narratives with caution. It warned that “speculative reports or unverified claims” on “certain platforms, particularly those originating from hostile external sources,” should not be viewed as credible.
For now, the PCB has closed ranks. “The PCB will not comment further at this time,” the statement added, advising “stakeholders and the public to rely on official PCB communications.”
Noffke: ‘There’s always something going on in the background’
While the board deals with the fallout in Lahore, the coaching staff on the ground in Birmingham are trying to hold together a shaken squad and salvage something from the series.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Noffke admitted he has been kept at arm’s length from the disciplinary process.
“I can be really honest in that I don’t know too much,” he said. “I sit outside of that decision-making model, (which is) above us as coaches. We try and keep the players focused on what they need to worry about.”
His comments offered a glimpse into the constant churn that has surrounded Pakistan cricket for years.
“One thing that I’ve learned about being in Pakistan and coaching for a period of time, nearly 15 months now with the white-ball team, is there’s always something going on in the background,” he said. “I think most of the time it’s out of the players’ control. They need to focus on the cricket that they have in front of them and the opportunity they have in front of them.
“We’re not really in the position to even know the outer workings of what’s happening at PCB in that context.”
So Pakistan arrive at Edgbaston 2-0 down, stripped of key senior figures, guided by an interim coaching structure, and overshadowed by an internal probe into discipline and conduct.
The final Test will not just be about avoiding a whitewash. It will be an examination of what, if anything, still holds this team together when everything around it is being torn apart.
