Pakistan Test skipper Babar Azam on Tuesday (September 8) made it clear that he has role to play in the PCB’s decision to overhaul the squad midway through their tour of England.
Following crushing defeats in the opening two Tests at Leeds and Lord's, the PCB released seven players from the squad, including senior figures like Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha.
Along with player changes, red-ball head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were relieved of their duties. The white-ball setup, led by Mike Hesson, has been brought in on short notice to take charge of the third and final Test, slated to begin on September 9 at Edgbaston.
The revamped squad now includes a mix of domestic talent, calling up Saim Ayub, Abdullah Fazal, and five uncapped players.
Speaking to the media on the eve of the Edgbaston Test, Babar explicitly stated that the wholesale squad changes was an absolute surprise to him.
“I was not consulted. It was news to me as well. I only found out about all these things later. PCB made the decisions, so they can explain it to you better,” Babar told reporters.
When asked how difficult it had been to deal with the recent turn of events, the Pakistan captain replied: “Not difficult, but surprising.”
Babar Azam missed the series opener in Leeds due to a finger injury as Agha led Pakistan in his absence. He returned for the must-win fixture at Lord’s, but failed to inspire the team with his performance.
Babar returned with scores of 8 and 6 across the two innings. In particular, the right-hander drew flak for his second innings dismissal as Jofra Archer bounced him out.
Addressing a question about his performances, Babar pointed out his performance in the preceding Test series in the Caribbean. In that two-match series against the West Indies, he amassed 193 runs at an average of 96.50 with a couple of half-centuries.
“If you talk about my performance, I guess I was the man of the series against West Indies as Captain,” he remarked.
Babar also distanced himself entirely from the PCB’s internal disciplinary inquiry, citing that he knew nothing about what the board was investigating. “No, I have no idea,” he said.
