Interim Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson hopes his reshaped squad will be able to come through the recent “little bit of chaos” and deliver a much-improved performance in the third Test against England at Edgbaston.
England have thrashed the tourists twice in a row – at Headingley and then Lord’s – but are set to be playing a drastically different side in Birmingham next week.
The Pakistan Cricket Board took the severe step of sending seven players home and replacing head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed with his white-ball counterpart Hesson.
Senior players Imam-ul-Haq and Salman Ali Agha were among those to leave, along with wicketkeeper Muhammad Rizwan, while spinner Ali Usman and seamer Khurram Shahzad have both also departed the camp.
Of the seven replacements drafted in at short notice, only batters Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal have Test experience.
New Zealander Hesson, though, feels the whole squad can now come together and put up much more of a contest when the third Rothesay Test starts on September 9.
“I was heading over to see the King and be part of a nice occasion. That got expedited,” Hesson told reporters, as quoted by BBC Sport.
“The last couple of days have been challenging for being in a hotel with some players coming, some players going and then the arrival of everyone.
“The guys are probably more used to a little bit of chaos than I am. There is no doubt they have been disappointed, incredibly disappointed.
“We have had to park that and go ‘righto, where to from here?’ They have been really good over the past couple of days.”
Hesson added: “I don’t think anyone wants this to happen in the middle of a series.
“From my perspective, it is about putting a balanced squad together, not only for this Test, so we actually have some variety in our attack.
“Pakistan is known for the pace, unusual actions, mystery spin – we haven’t really been able to present any of that.”
PA
