Pakistan's Major Overhaul After Lord's Defeat: Seven Players and Coaches Out

Pakistan’s tour of England has lurched from damage control to full-blown reset.

Two brutal defeats — an innings-and-103-run hammering at Leeds and a 194-run loss at Lord’s — have forced the Pakistan Cricket Board into sweeping mid-series changes, with seven players released from the Test squad and the red-ball coaching staff dismantled ahead of the third Test at Edgbaston.

This is not tinkering. It is a clear admission that the current formula has failed.

Seven players cut as series slips away

With the series already gone at 0-2 and five defeats in their last six Tests, the PCB moved on Monday to redraw the squad.

Former white-ball captain Salman Ali Agha is out. So is first-choice wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan. Opening batter Imam-ul-Haq, under the microscope since Lord’s, has also been released.

They are joined on the chopping block by Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad.

“The Pakistan Cricket Board has today announced that seven players have been released from the Test squad following completion of the Lord's Test. A total of seven replacements have been named including five uncapped players at Test level and two capped players,” the PCB said in a statement.

It is a bold cull in the middle of an English tour, and it comes against a backdrop of rising criticism at home and abroad.

Imam, sidelined by a calf injury picked up on the opening day at Lord’s, missed both innings. His appearance on the outfield for warm-ups on the fourth morning did not go unnoticed and only intensified scrutiny.

Rizwan, one of the senior figures in the side, has been under pressure for some time. His second-innings dismissal at Lord’s — trapped lbw while attempting a slog — felt like a flashpoint, emblematic of a batting unit short on clarity and composure.

The pressure finally told.

Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal return, Minhas headlines new faces

In their place, Pakistan have gone for a mix of experience and raw promise.

Test-capped batters Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal are back in the fold, while left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Arafat Minhas adds variety to the attack and depth to the lower order.

Saim has eight Tests behind him; Abdullah has played two. Minhas has already sampled international cricket in white-ball formats, with three ODIs and four T20Is for Pakistan.

“Among the players announced as replacements, batters Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal have played eight and two Tests, respectively, while left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Arafat Minhas has represented Pakistan in three ODIs and four T20Is,” the PCB confirmed.

Alongside them, four uncapped players at Test level step into the spotlight.

• Left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Imran Jnr offers fresh pace.
• Wicketkeeper-batter Saad Baig, the player of the tournament in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2025-26, is rewarded for his domestic dominance.
• Right-arm pace-bowling all-rounders Mohammad Imran — also known as Imran Randhawa — and Razaullah complete the influx.

“The four other players are left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Imran Jnr, wicketkeeper-batter and player of the tournament of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2025-26 Saad Baig, right-arm pace bowling all-rounders Mohammad Imran (also known as Imran Randhawa) and Razaullah,” the PCB added.

Seven out, seven in. A near like-for-like reshuffle on paper, but a clear shift in emphasis towards youth and form.

Sarfaraz and Gul out as Hesson steps in

The overhaul does not stop at the dressing room door.

Red-ball head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul have both been relieved of their duties for the remainder of the tour. Their exit underlines the scale of Pakistan’s response to a series that has unravelled rapidly.

White-ball head coach Mike Hesson will now step across formats, taking charge of the Test setup in England, with Ashley Noffke joining him on the backroom staff.

“Additionally, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul have also been released and will be replaced by Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke in the backroom staff,” the PCB said.

It is an unusual mid-tour pivot, effectively merging philosophies from Pakistan’s white-ball project into a Test side that has looked short of structure and belief.

Edgbaston or bust

So Pakistan arrive at Edgbaston with a new-look squad, a reworked coaching ticket and a series already lost.

What remains is pride — and the chance to draw a line under a grim run that has seen them lose five of their last six Tests.

England, two up with one to play, will sense vulnerability. Pakistan, bruised and reshaped, will try to show that this drastic reset is more than a reaction to Lord’s humiliation.

The third Test starts on 9 September. For several of those newly drafted in, it could be the beginning of something. For Pakistan’s Test side, it has to be.