Pakistan captain Babar Azam has said he was unaware of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s decision to remove head coach Sarfraz Ahmed and send seven players home following the team’s heavy defeat against England at Lord’s.
Pakistan suffered a 194-run loss last week, which handed England the three-match Test series. The defeat was followed by major changes, with Sarfraz removed as head coach and bowling coach Umar Gul also dismissed. White-ball head coach Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke were brought in as their replacements.
The PCB also dropped seven players midway through the series, including experienced names Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha. Five uncapped players were among those subsequently flown to the United Kingdom as replacements.
Speaking ahead of the third and final Test at Edgbaston, Babar said the decisions had also come as a surprise to him.
“It was news to me as well,” he said. “I only found out about these things later.”
The changes were reportedly decided by the national selection panel outside the team dressing room. PCB high-performance director and selector Aaqib Javed later said the coaching staff had been removed after failing to make certain selection decisions before the second Test.
Babar, who was retained as captain for the final match, distanced himself from the PCB’s actions, saying the board was better placed to explain the reasoning behind them.
He said that as captain and a player, he had to accept the decisions taken by the board, adding that the PCB would have reached them after careful consideration.
Babar also said he had no prior knowledge of the PCB’s internal inquiry into the discipline and conduct of certain players.
With the series already lost, Pakistan are now looking to regroup for the final Test. Uncapped fast bowler Razaullah and all-rounder Arafat Minhas are among the players in contention for their Test debuts, while Saim Ayub could return to the side.
Babar described the changes as an opportunity for the younger players and said Pakistan could approach the final Test with greater freedom as there was now “nothing to lose”.
He added that the arrival of new players had brought fresh energy to the squad following a turbulent week.
