Birmingham, September 8, 2026: Pakistan captain Babar Azam has revealed that the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision to remove the national team’s coaching staff and send seven players home midway through the Test series against England came as a surprise to him.
The PCB took the dramatic decisions following Pakistan’s 194-run defeat against England at Lord’s last week, a result that handed the hosts an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Head coach Sarfraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were subsequently removed and replaced by white-ball head coach Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke, respectively.
Seven players, including experienced campaigners Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha, were also dropped from the squad, while five replacements sent to England were uncapped players.
Babar said the developments were not discussed with him beforehand.
“It was news to me as well,” Babar said at a pre-match press conference ahead of the final Test at Edgbaston. “I only found out about these things later.”
The changes were reportedly made by the national selection panel outside the dressing room. PCB high-performance director and selector Aaqib Javed later said the decision to remove the coaching staff was linked to their failure to make certain selection calls ahead of the second Test.
Babar, who was retained as captain for the final Test, distanced himself from the PCB’s decisions and said the board was better placed to explain the reasons behind them.
“The PCB made the decisions, so I think they would be better placed to explain them,” he said. “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.”
He added that the PCB would have taken the decisions after giving them considerable thought.
Babar also said he was unaware of the PCB’s internal inquiry into the discipline and conduct of certain players, responding with a straightforward “no” when asked whether he knew about it.
With the series already beyond Pakistan’s reach, Babar said the final Test provided an opportunity for the younger players brought into the squad following the shake-up.
Uncapped pacer Razaullah and all-rounder Arafat Minhas could make their Test debuts, while Saim Ayub, who has played eight Tests, is expected to return to the side.
Babar described the inclusion of new players as a “golden opportunity” for them to establish themselves.
“The new players are coming in, and they have a golden opportunity to grab it and play this game,” he said.
He also hoped the fact that the final Test is a dead rubber would allow Pakistan to play with greater freedom.
“For us, this is an opportunity as a team and as a group. The series is lost, but we have nothing to lose,” Babar said. “So we can play freely, go out onto the ground and believe in ourselves as a team.”
He said the squad had used the previous few days to train and discuss the situation among themselves.
“We have had a couple of days of practice and have spoken to each other a lot,” he said. “Whenever a new team or a youngster comes in, there is a little excitement, and that excitement is visible.”
