Pakistan Overhauls Test Squad in England as Senior Players Axed
Pakistan have not just tweaked their Test squad in England. They’ve torn it up.
With the side 0-2 down in the series and sinking fast in the current World Test Championship cycle, the team management — with the Pakistan Cricket Board firmly in the loop — has launched a sweeping clear-out that has stunned even those used to the turbulence of Pakistan cricket.
Senior players shown the door
Three senior players, including former white-ball captain Salman Agha, have been released from the touring party. Alongside him, Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq have also been told their time on this tour is over.
All three have struggled through the series, their form falling well short of the standard demanded in matches that still count towards the WTC table, even if Pakistan’s hopes of reaching the final have already evaporated. The message from the management is brutal but unmistakable: reputations no longer guarantee protection.
This is not a quiet dropping. It is a statement.
Pakistan have lost five of their last six Tests, the only win coming against West Indies earlier this month. The slide has been steep, the response even steeper.
New faces, urgent calls
With the third Test in Birmingham starting on September 9, the selectors and team hierarchy have moved quickly. Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal have received call-ups and are set to join the squad for what now feels like a reset rather than just a dead rubber.
The overhaul may not stop there. If UK visas can be processed in time, four more players are poised to fly in: fast bowlers Razaullah Khan and Mohammad Imran, left-arm spinner Arafat Minhas and wicketkeeper Rohail Nazir. That would mean almost an entire new layer of depth added mid-tour, a rare and dramatic mid-series injection of fresh blood.
For those remaining in the dressing room, the message could hardly be clearer: nobody is safe.
Hesson handed the red-ball reins
The shake-up is not limited to the players. The coaching structure has been jolted as well.
Mike Hesson, until now in charge of Pakistan’s white-ball setup, has been instructed to take over the Test side. The New Zealander is understood to already be in England and is expected to link up with the team shortly, stepping into a dressing room under scrutiny and strain.
Hesson will lead the red-ball squad for the rest of Pakistan’s WTC fixtures in this cycle: two Tests in Sri Lanka in November, followed by two more in New Zealand early next year. It is a significant vote of confidence in his methods and a clear attempt to impose a single, coherent voice across formats.
The move leaves current Test coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul on the margins. Both have been sidelined from frontline roles, though they will continue to travel with the team. Their presence will remain, their influence sharply reduced.
A crossroads in real time
This is not the usual slow burn of transition. It is transition on fast-forward, executed mid-series, in English conditions, with a squad already under pressure.
Pakistan have chosen upheaval over drift. They have cut senior players, summoned untested names, and shifted the coaching power structure — all while a series is still alive on the field, even if the WTC dream is not.
The third Test at Birmingham will now be more than a contest for pride. It will be the first glimpse of what Pakistan want their red-ball future to look like — and a hard examination of whether this shock therapy can jolt a faltering side back to life.
