Pakistan's mid-tour overhaul reveals selection driven by panic
Pakistan's decision to sack coach and players mid-tour signals a selection system reacting to results rather than planning for them.
Pakistan sacked head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and sent seven players home after their 194-run defeat in the second Test against England at Lord's. The board asked white-ball coach Mike Hesson to take over preparations for the third Test at Edgbaston.
The sacked players include several who featured in the Lord's defeat where Pakistan were dismissed for 194 while chasing 389. Five uncapped replacements have been added to the squad for Birmingham.
Pakistan sit at the bottom of the World Test Championship table with 15 defeats in their last 20 Tests. Sarfaraz Ahmed had been in the job for only a few months before the latest series loss sealed his fate.
CricHubb Take
Sacking the coach and seven players after two Tests suggests the board believes the squad's problems are individual rather than systemic, an assumption that will be tested when the replacements face the same conditions at Edgbaston.