Key Takeaways
- Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) sacked head coach Sarfraz Ahmed and sent seven players home.
- Captain Babar Azam was unaware of the decisions until later, expressing his surprise.
- New coaching staff and players are set to debut in the upcoming Test match.
Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam expressed his surprise at the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision to sack the national team’s head coach, Sarfraz Ahmed, and send seven players back home following a 194-run defeat against England at Lord’s last week.
The PCB’s dramatic move, which included replacing Sarfraz Ahmed with white-ball head coach Mike Hesson and bowling coach Ashley Noffke, came as a shock to Babar, who revealed this during a pre-match press conference ahead of the final Test at Edgbaston.
Seven seasoned players, including Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Rizwan, and Salman Ali Agha, were also axed from the squad midway through the series, while five uncapped players were flown to the UK to replace them.
The wholesale changes were reportedly planned outside the Pakistan dressing room by the national selection panel, with Aaqib Javed, the board’s high-performance director and selector, confirming that the decision to sack the coaching staff was a reaction to their inability to make certain selection calls ahead of the second Test.
Babar distanced himself from the board’s decisions, stating, “But as I said, the PCB made the decisions, so I think they would be better placed to explain them.” He added, “Whatever decision the PCB has taken, as a player and as captain, I have to go along with the decision made by the cricket board.”
The PCB’s internal inquiry into the discipline and conduct of certain players was not something Babar was aware of, and he advised that the board would be better placed to explain the situation.
With the team facing a tumultuous week, Babar and his players have little option but to focus on the upcoming Test match at Edgbaston. The new coaching staff and players are set to debut, with uncapped pacer Razaullah and all-rounder Arafat Minhas potentially making their debuts, while Saim Ayub, who has eight Tests to his name, is likely to return to the side.
Babar saw the situation as an opportunity for the young players amid the chaos, stating, “The new players will have the chance to showcase their talent and contribute to the team’s performance.”
But as I said, the PCB made the decisions, so I think they would be better placed to explain them.
Babar Azam, Captain of the Pakistan national cricket team
Whatever decision the PCB has taken, as a player and as captain, I have to go along with the decision made by the cricket board.
Babar Azam, Captain of the Pakistan national cricket team
