Pakistan's Bold Changes as England Seek Dominance in 3rd Test

The series is done. The cricket is not.

England walk into Edgbaston with a 2-0 lead and the Ashes winter in their eyeline, liberated by an innings and 103-run hammering at Headingley and a 194-run win at Lord's. Pakistan arrive carrying something very different: the weight of a reset so drastic it almost feels like a new tour.

Seven players have been sent home. Two coaches have gone with them. A new leadership group has flown in. For a so‑called dead rubber, this feels alive with consequence.

England tweak, not tear up

England’s changes are subtle, almost understated against the chaos in the opposite dressing room.

Brydon Carse is out, dropped from Joe Root’s squad after the incident outside a Derby nightclub during the second Test. It leaves a vacancy in the seam department, but not a crisis. The spine of a dominant side remains untouched.

Ollie Robinson, fresh from match figures of 8 for 80 at Lord's, is inked in. Those numbers nudged him past Jasprit Bumrah for the best Test bowling average of any bowler with at least 20 caps since the First World War. England are not about to rest that kind of form.

Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson complete a pace trio that has hunted in packs all series, repeatedly exposing Pakistan’s techniques and temperament in English conditions. Shoaib Bashir’s off-spin offers control and rough‑tracking menace; the seamers create the chaos, he applies the squeeze.

The batting looks settled and familiar. Ben Duckett and Emilio Gay at the top, Jordan Cox at three, then Root himself, Harry Brook and Dan Lawrence forming a middle order that scores quickly and, crucially, keeps scoring even after early losses. Jamie Smith continues behind the stumps, part of a generation England clearly want to test before that crowded winter calendar bites.

England predicted XI for the 3rd Test at Edgbaston

• Ben Duckett
• Emilio Gay
• Jordan Cox
• Joe Root (c)
• Harry Brook
• Dan Lawrence
• Jamie Smith (wk)
• Gus Atkinson
• Ollie Robinson
• Jofra Archer
• Shoaib Bashir

It is not an experimental side. It is a strong one with just enough flexibility to learn something new without risking much at all.

Pakistan rip up the script

Across the corridor, it is revolution.

Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad have all been released from the squad. Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul have also been removed mid-series. That is not tinkering. That is a clear-out.

Into the vacuum steps Mike Hesson, in interim charge of the Test side, working alongside former Australia seamer Ashley Noffke. Hesson has wasted no time spelling out what he wants: pace, awkward actions, mystery spin, and – above all – variety.

“Pakistan is known for the pace, unusual actions, and mystery spin; we haven't really been able to present any of that,” he said. For him, this is about more than a one-off match. It is about building a balanced attack that can survive beyond Edgbaston.

The selection table reflects that urgency. Babar Azam returns to lead a team that barely resembles the one beaten at Lord’s. The top order is reshuffled again, with Saim Ayub and Abdullah Shafique joining a group that includes Azan Awais and Babar himself at four. It is a blend of promise and pressure.

Behind them stands the real story: youth.

Five uncapped players have been drafted into the wider squad, and at least two are pushing hard for immediate debuts. Wicketkeeper-batter Saad Baig, Player of the Tournament in the 2025–26 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, has the weight of domestic runs and the temperament to match. Left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Arafat Minhas brings the kind of variety Hesson has publicly demanded, with both bat and ball.

Left-arm seamer Ubaid Shah and off-spinner Sajid Khan add more angles, more questions for England’s batters, more of that traditional Pakistani unpredictability that has been strangely absent on this tour.

Pakistan predicted XI for the 3rd Test at Edgbaston

• Azan Awais
• Abdullah Shafique
• Saim Ayub
• Babar Azam (c)
• Saud Shakeel
• Saad Baig (wk)
• Mohammad Imran Randhawa
• Arafat Minhas
• Mohammad Ali
• Mohammad Abbas
• Ubaid Shah

On paper, it is raw. On the field, it could be chaotic, brilliant, or both within a single session.

The right time for risk – and the wrong message

A dead rubber is exactly when you find out if Saad Baig can transfer domestic dominance to Test cricket, or whether Arafat Minhas can hold a length and nerve against a seasoned batting unit. Pakistan have little realistic chance of winning the series from here. The downside is limited. The upside is invaluable information.

Blooding five uncapped players across a tour in this situation makes sense. So does Hesson’s insistence on balance and variety. Those have been missing, and England have exposed that ruthlessly.

The worry lies elsewhere.

Seven players discarded in one announcement. Two coaches axed mid-series. A captaincy carousel that saw Salman Ali Agha lead in one Test and then vanish from the squad altogether in the next. It paints a picture of a board reacting to headlines, not following a plan.

Edgbaston might offer Pakistan a glimpse of their future. The question is whether that future is built on this bold youth movement, or swallowed by the next reshuffle.