Pakistan’s interim red-ball head coach, Mike Hesson, rubbished the reports claiming that Salman Ali Agha had intentionally declined invitation to the event at Buckingham Palace, where the Pakistan squad met with the United Kingdom’s monarch, King Charles III.
The royal engagement took place following the Lord’s Test, when Agha along with six other players, head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were released from the squad for Pakistan’s listless display in the first two matches.
While the likes of Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Rizwan returned home immediately, Agha was asked to stay back but wasn’t spotted at the event.
The four other sacked players — Aamer Jamal, Ali Usman, Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad — attended the event, which led to speculation about Agha.
However, Hesson clarified that Agha was already released from the team and was not scheduled to be there. He branded reports that the all-rounder had deliberately snubbed the royal invitation as "unacceptable journalism."
"Look, I know there’s been a void in the news, but people are just making up stories. Salman Ali Agha, as I’ve said, the three players were released from the squad before I arrived, well before Buckingham Palace. They were sent a note at that time that these three players would not be attending Buckingham Palace. So, someone’s just made something up," Hesson said.
“In terms of the other players, all of the rest of the players that were in the squad were already on the list. I was already on the list as the white-ball head coach, so there have been no changes to it. It was all very straightforward. Someone’s just got two and two together and come up with nine. For me, that’s unacceptable journalism," he added.
Hesson also distanced himself from the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) unprecedented mid-series decision to axe senior players Rizwan, Agha, and Imam.
“When they told me if I could manage the side for the final Test, these three players were already released from the squad and on their way home. So, I really don’t know what happened there," he stated.
Hesson confirmed that he was involved in the release of the rest of the players and selecting the replacement players to bring variety and balance to the bowling attack for the Edgbaston Test starting September 9.
The PCB called up seven new players, including five uncapped talents. The list features Saim Ayub, Abdullah Fazal, Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran, and Razaullah.
"I decided to make some changes in the squad to get balance into the squad and my emphasis has been on having a bowling attack which has variety and where we have a couple of bowling all rounders," he concluded.
