Pakistan sacks head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and releases seven players mid-England tour

The Pakistan Cricket Board has sacked head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and released seven players from the squad touring England after a 2-0 series loss. Sarfaraz lasted only a few months in the role as five defeats in six Tests ended his tenure. The second Test loss at Lord's, a 194-run margin, proved the final blow.

Pakistan now sits at the bottom of the World Test Championship table with 15 losses in their last 20 Tests. Mike Hesson, the white-ball coach, has stepped in on an interim basis. Five uncapped players have been added to the squad ahead of the third Test at Edgbaston.

The scale of the purge indicates the PCB is treating the series loss as a systemic failure rather than a tactical one. The timing of the changes, announced before the third Test, shows the board is attempting to reset the squad mid-tour rather than waiting for the series to conclude.