It was news to me too: Babar Azam on Pakistan’s squad overhaul

Pakistan captain Babar Azam has revealed that the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision to overhaul the squad ahead of the third Test against England came as a surprise to him.

Pakistan are 0-2 down in the three-match series after suffering heavy defeats in the opening two Tests. England won the first match by an innings and 103 runs before securing a 194-run victory at Lord’s, where Pakistan had not lost a Test since 2010.

Following the back-to-back defeats, the PCB released seven players from the squad, including senior batters Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq and Salman Ali Agha. Ali Usman, Aamer Jamal, Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad were also released.

The board also made changes to the coaching staff, bringing in white-ball head coach Mike Hesson and assistant coach Ashley Noffke in place of Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul.

Asked on the eve of the third Test at Edgbaston whether he had been involved in the decision-making process, Babar said he only learned about the changes after the PCB had made its decision. “No, it was news for me too. I also came to know about this later. But as I said earlier, the PCB made this decision. I think they will explain it better,” Babar said.

The captain was also asked whether the changes would make it harder for Pakistan to finalise their playing XI. However, Babar viewed the overhaul as an opportunity for the newcomers to prove themselves.

“Yes, a surprise for us. But the new players are coming. They have a golden opportunity to grab and play this game,” he said.

Babar, however, defended the selections made for the first two Tests, saying the team had picked what it believed was the best combination after considering the pitch and conditions.

“If we talk about the last match, we didn’t play well as a team in all three areas – batting, bowling and fielding. If you don’t play as a team, if you don’t get good results, such things will continue to happen,” he said.

“But the playing XI we fielded at that time, reading the pitch and looking at the conditions, we felt that was the best. We just couldn’t get the results as we should have.”

With several new faces now in the squad, Babar said Pakistan had shortlisted 12 players for the third Test and would make the final call after assessing the conditions at Edgbaston.

“We have almost formed 12-a-side and will give it the final touch tonight or tomorrow morning as to which combination we would go. So, our final lineup is almost ready,” he said.