Cricket
Pakistan squad cull came as a surprise to skipper Babar Azam
Pakistan captain Babar Azam was not consulted about the decision to tear up his squad ahead of this week’s final Test against England, admitting the drastic cull was “news to me”.
Heavy defeats at Headingley and Lord’s were met with sweeping changes by the Pakistan Cricket Board, who reacted by sending seven players home as well as removing head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and his assistant Umar Gul from their positions.
A raft of replacements were summoned, including five with no Test experience, while white-ball coach Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke were drafted to take charge at Edgbaston this week.
Addressing the remarkable sequence of events for the first time on the eve of the third Test, Babar admitted decisions had been taken without his knowledge but attempted to frame it as a fresh chance for those still in Birmingham.
Speaking in Urdu, he said: “It was news to me. I found out after. The PCB decided it, so they will be able to explain better.
“The PCB’s decision must have been taken after some thought process. It’s better if you ask them why. It’s an opportunity for us as a group and a team. The series is lost but we have nothing to lose. We should play freely and believe in ourselves as a team.
“It’s an opportunity for the new boys and a chance to showcase their talent. Any young player who comes in is excited, and that excitement is visible. I believe that will be visible in the match, too.
“I firmly believe you need to grab opportunities and perform in difficult conditions. That’s why we play cricket, because we have to perform and dominate in difficult conditions. We need to forget about past failures and shift focus to the future.”
Babar offered nothing further on the internal inquiry into “discipline and conduct” which was announced by the board on Tuesday, adding in English: “No, I don’t know. I have no idea about it.”
Meanwhile, former Pakistan all-rounder Wasim Akram renewed calls for “fair treatment” for his one-time captain and ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The PCB reportedly considered refusing to let players take the field at Lord’s due to a dispute with Sky Sports over Michael Atherton’s interview with Khan’s sons Kasim and Sulaiman, in which they criticised their imprisoned father’s treatment and healthcare in the strongest terms.
Atherton was one of 14 former international captains who co-signed a letter to current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pleading for Khan to be treated humanely and with “basic human consideration”.
Akram, appearing on the ‘Old Boys, New Balls’ podcast co-hosted by another former England captain, Sir Ian Botham, said: “We would like to thank all the captains that recently signed a petition for Imran.
“I feel for skipper, I miss him as a friend, I miss him as a mentor, we miss him as a leader. We haven’t seen his picture for three years.
“What we want from this government is to give him the fair treatment, like other politicians had before.
“Fingers are crossed, Inshallah the whole nation is behind him and he’ll be out (soon).”
