Pakistan Cricket Board Overhauls Team After England Series Loss

The Pakistan Cricket Board has detonated its Test set-up mid-series, sending seven players and two coaches home and flying in a new-look group ahead of the third and final Test against England.

On a single day of upheaval, the PCB released Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad from the touring squad. Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul have also been removed from their roles, with Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke drafted in as replacements.

It is a dramatic response to a bruising tour. Pakistan have been outplayed in the first two Tests at Leeds and Lord’s, beaten heavily and exposed in all departments. With the series already lost and the final Test at Birmingham starting on September 9, the Board has chosen surgery over sticking plaster.

New faces, new direction

Seven players now step into the vacuum: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Fazal, Arafat Minhas, Saad Baig, Muhammad Randhawa, Razaullah and Muhammad Imran Jnr.

Five of them have already had a taste of international cricket. Two have not played for Pakistan at any level.

At the top of the list, Saim Ayub brings eight Tests of experience, while Abdullah Fazal has featured in two. Arafat Minhas, a left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder, arrives with white-ball credentials, having represented Pakistan in three ODIs and four T20Is.

The rest of the incoming group underlines the scale of the reset. Mohammad Imran Jnr adds a left-arm fast-bowling option. Saad Baig, a wicketkeeper-batter, comes in on the back of a standout domestic season in which he was named Player of the Tournament in the 2025-26 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Joining them are right-arm pace-bowling all-rounders Muhammad Imran, also known as Imran Randhawa, and Razaullah, both jostling for a first real foothold on the international stage.

For Muhammad Randhawa and Razaullah, this is a leap straight into the Test arena. No prior representation at any level for Pakistan, and now a seat on a tour that has turned into a referendum on the team’s direction.

Coaching shake-up

The changes in the dressing room are just as stark. Sarfaraz Ahmed, entrusted with the head coach role, and bowling coach Umar Gul have both been released from their duties mid-series. In come Mike Hesson, with his reputation for structure and long-term planning, and former Australia seamer Ashley Noffke to take charge of the bowling group.

It is rare for a touring side to undergo such a sweeping overhaul between Tests. Pakistan have chosen to do it with a single match left, under the glare of an English summer and a restless fan base back home.

Updated Pakistan Test squad

Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Fazal, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Imran, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Razaullah, Saad Baig (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, Ubaid Shah.

The new arrivals will link up with the squad in Birmingham, walking into a series already decided but a team very much on trial.