'More action off the field!' - Harsha Bhogle takes dig at Pakistan cricket amid mid-series changes
Pakistan released seven players and replaced their head coach and bowling coach before the third Test against England at Edgbaston.
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Pakistan's cricket board announced a sweeping overhaul of their touring squad on August 31, releasing seven players and making wholesale changes to the coaching staff before the third Test against England.
The move came after Pakistan fell 2-0 behind in the three-match series, with the final Test scheduled at Edgbaston on September 9. Renowned Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle react to the scale of the disruption.
"Trust Pakistan cricket to do the unbelievable. Salman Agha, captain in the first test, dropped from the second, sent home before the third! Coach and bowling coach gone midway through a series. Senior keeper sent home. Replacements hoping to get visas in time, let alone be ready for a test match. As always, more action off the field!,"wrote Bhogle on X.
Trust Pakistan cricket to do the unbelievable. Salman Agha, captain in the first test, dropped from the second, sent home before the third! Coach and bowling coach gone midway through a series. Senior keeper sent home. Replacements hoping to get visas in time, let alone be ready…
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) August 31, 2026
Pakistan's seven-player release and coaching reshuffle
The sequence involving Salman Ali Agha was particularly striking. He served as stand-in captain for Babar Azam in the first Test, was dropped for the second at Lord's, and has now been sent home before the third. Mohammad Rizwan, whose scores across the two Tests read 12 and 41 at Headingley and 7 and 1 at Lord's, was also released. Imam-ul-Haq was let go after missing the Lord's Test due to a calf injury. The remaining four players sent home were Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad.
On the coaching front, Sarfaraz Ahmed departed as head coach and Umar Gul as bowling coach, both mid-series. Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke, previously part of Pakistan's white-ball set-up, have been brought into the Test coaching staff for the Edgbaston match.
England had already sealed the series by winning the second Test at Lord's by 194 runs. Among the replacements called up are batters Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal, who have eight and two Test caps respectively, giving the pair a combined experience of 10 matches. Left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Arafat Minhas is also included. Five of the replacements, namely Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran Randhawa and Razaullah, are uncapped at Test level.
The third and final Test between England and Pakistan begins at Edgbaston on September 9, 2026, with Babar Azam returning as captain of the revised squad.
Pakistan's squad for the third test vs England
Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Fazal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Imran, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Razaullah, Saad Baig (wk), Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, Ubaid Shah.
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