Pakistan Cricket Board Launches Inquiry Amid Tour Turmoil
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s turbulent tour of England has taken another sharp turn, with the Pakistan Cricket Board launching an internal disciplinary inquiry after abruptly recalling seven players and two coaches midway through the series.
The PCB confirmed the probe on Monday, but kept names and details under wraps.
“The PCB has initiated an internal disciplinary inquiry following media reports concerning discipline and conduct, which are currently being reviewed internally,” media director Amir Mir said on X. He stressed that the board was dealing with the matter under its own regulations and that “all concerned individuals are given due consideration.”
Behind that carefully worded statement sits a storm of speculation.
Phone data, defeats and a deepening crisis
Local outlets have reported that the board obtained data from the mobile phones of Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Rizwan before both men flew home. Geo News said the phones were taken by the team’s security officer after Pakistan’s 194-run defeat in the second Test at Lord’s, then returned to the players just hours before they left the UK.
The PCB has not confirmed that version of events. Mir pushed back at the swirl of rumor.
“At this stage, any speculative reports or unverified claims circulating on certain platforms, particularly those originating from hostile external sources, should not be regarded as credible,” he said. “The Board advises stakeholders and the public to rely on official PCB communications.”
The backdrop is grim. Two heavy defeats at Lord’s and Headingley in the first two Tests of the three-match series triggered a sweeping, almost frantic reset. Pakistan did not just change personnel; it ripped up the script.
Seven players were ordered home. Test coach Sarfaraz Ahmed was removed and replaced by Mike Hesson, while Ashley Noffke came in as bowling coach for Umar Gul. All of it happened with one Test still to play.
New faces, old noise
Noffke, parachuted into the middle of a storm, insisted he knew nothing of any disciplinary angle as Pakistan prepared for the third and final Test at Edgbaston, starting Wednesday.
“I sit outside of that decision-making model,” he told reporters after a practice session in Birmingham.
What he does know is the constant hum around Pakistani cricket.
“There’s one thing that I’ve learnt 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. The players, he added, had to lock in on the cricket in front of them because “there’s some really great opportunities here for young cricketers that are highly skilled.”
That is the balancing act now: a dressing room trying to focus on a dead-rubber Test while the noise outside grows louder.
Selection shake-up under fire
Inside Pakistan, the mid-series clear-out has split opinion. Selector Aaqib Javed and PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi have both defended the decisions, arguing that change was necessary after the team’s capitulation in the first two matches.
Not everyone agrees. Former stars Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik have publicly criticised the timing and scale of the overhaul, questioning the wisdom of dismantling a touring squad on the fly.
The list of departures is long and telling. Wicketkeeper-batter Rizwan, opener Imam and Salman Ali Agha — who captained Pakistan in the first Test — were among the first group of seven to leave before Hesson had even linked up with the side in the UK.
Fast bowler Khurram Shahzad and left-arm spinner Ali Usman both featured in the opening two Tests, then were released. Allrounder Aamir Jamal and Mohammad Awais were sent home without playing a single match at Lord’s or Headingley.
So Pakistan arrive in Birmingham stripped of experience, under new leadership, and with an internal inquiry hanging over the tour.
The third Test will not decide the series. It may, though, say plenty about where this team — and this board — are heading next.
