Pakistan’s mid-series meltdown has been branded “the most shocking decision ever” by former captain Shahid Afridi.
England have thrashed the tourists twice in a row, at Headingley and Lord’s, and will fully expect to complete a 3-0 sweep in the third Rothesay Test at Edgbaston next week.
But they will be playing a drastically different side in Birmingham, with the Pakistan Cricket Board sending seven players home and replacing head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed with his white-ball counterpart Mike Hesson.
Of the seven replacements who have been drafted at short notice, only batters Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal have Test experience.
And Afridi, who was involved in some chaotic moments of his own during a 19-year international career, reacted with bemusement.
“Not sure what is the logic or reasoning behind this decision!” he wrote on X.
“Even the replacements make no sense – T20 players have been included for a Test match in England?
“What is this thinking and approach? Why has the coach been axed after five Test matches?
“This is the most shocking decision ever by a selection committee which includes so many experienced selectors.”
The axed players include Salman Ali Agha – who captained the first Test and was dropped for the second – experienced wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan and opener Imam-ul-Haq, who surprisingly declined to bat in either innings at Lord’s due to a low-grade calf strain.
Seamer Khurram Shahzad and spinner Ali Usman, who have both taken six wickets across two appearances, have also been deemed expendable alongside unused squad members Aamir Jamal and Muhammad Awais Zafar.
The Pakistan squad are due to be granted an audience with King Charles this week at Clarence House, though it is unclear how many of the revamped group will be on hand for the 15-minute engagement.
PA
