CHENNAI: In the 48 hours since Pakistan men lost to England at Lord's to concede the series, the Asian nation's cricket body has gone into chaos mode, making a series of overhauls. Though it is not new for Pakistan Cricket Board to go into adverse reactionary mode, the changes in last two calls for an introspection. A look at what happened at Lord's and how they have unravelled since...
What happened at Lord's
Pakistan lose to England by 194 runs, conceding an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-Test series. Imam-ul-Haq, who injured his left calf in Headingley where Pakistan suffered an innings defeat, was included in the XI. However, he left the field on Day 1 and did not take part in the rest of the match even as Pakistan batting crumbled twice. Having come under criticism for not batting on Day 2, he took some gentle throwdowns on the morning of Day 4, but did not win any fans as his team was crushed by England on the same day.
Questions raised on injuries, selection and administration
Through the course of the match, several questions were raised in the post-play interactions on injury of Imam, selections, poor fielding, dropped catches, etc. Then there was also the controversy around an interview of Imran Khan's sons (about their father and former PM who has been in prison for three years) which was aired by the broadcaster on Day 1. PCB raised a complaint and even considered not taking the field as an option. Sarfaraz Khan, head coach, put the onus on batters, asking them to play domestic cricket after the collapse in first innings. By the time the Test and series was lost, Mohammad Abbas was left to face the burnt in front of the press.
7 players, two coaches removed as chaos strikes
PCB sent home seven players along with head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul days before the third and final Test in Edgbaston. The released players include the likes of Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Agha, Ali Usman, Aamer Jamal, Awais Zafar, and Khurram Shahzad. They have called-up as many as five uncapped players along with Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal. Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke - the head coach and bowling coach of the white-ball set-up - have been asked to join the Test team in England. Interestingly, they also posted on LinkedIn, inviting applications for fielding coach positions across red-ball and white-ball teams. Previous fielding coach Shane McDermott left the job in July
Misbah resigns as the mess continues
Less than 24 hours after PCB axed seven players and 'released' two coaches from the Test team, former captain Misbah-ul-Haq has resigned from his position in the men's selection committee. He also stepped down from his role as a batting consultant at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. This comes after the PCB reportedly served a notice to the selection committee asking for a written explanation about the selection of Rizwan and Imam the squads for West Indies and England tours. Misbah joined the four-member selection committee which included Aaqib Javed, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Asad Shafiq in March 2026.
What next?
Though there is still more than a week to go for the next Test in Edgbaston, it is hard to predict whether the team would look the same as it does on Tuesday by the time Babar Azam walks out for toss. Or whether he would be the one to walk out at all? Because, if history has taught anything it is that anything is possible with PCB and Pakistan cricket. And that has never been a good thing.
