Jason Gillespie Distances Himself From Selection Panel After Babar, Afridi, And Naseem Are Axed

Pakistan's interim red-ball head coach Mike Hesson on Friday distanced himself from the decision to drop senior players Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha and Imam-ul-Haq from the Test squad, following a difficult tour of England in which Pakistan lost the opening two matches by heavy margins. The tourists suffered an innings defeat in the first Test at Headingley before going down by 194 runs at Lord's, results that prompted the Pakistan Cricket Board to release seven players from the squad and part ways with head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed.

Speaking at a media conference in Birmingham ahead of the third and final Test at Edgbaston, starting September 9, Hesson said the decision to release the three senior players had already been made before he took charge of the side. He said the trio had already left the squad when he was approached to manage the Test team, adding that he did not know the specific reasoning behind their removal. Hesson, who had been serving as Pakistan's white-ball head coach and was recently in Japan preparing for the Asian Games, was asked to step in for the Edgbaston Test after the board's sweeping changes. 

Beyond Rizwan, Agha and Imam-ul-Haq, the reshuffle also saw fast bowler Khurram Shahzad and spinner Ali Usman released after featuring in the first two Tests, while all-rounder Aamir Jamal and Muhammad Awais Jafar were sent home without playing a single match on the tour. In their place, the board called up batters Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal, both of whom carry prior Test experience, alongside five uncapped players. Hesson explained that his focus, once he took over, shifted to assembling a more balanced bowling attack suited to conditions at Edgbaston, rather than revisiting the earlier decisions involving the senior batters.

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The coach's comments also touched on reports linking the release of the three senior players to disciplinary concerns rather than form alone, though he stopped short of confirming such claims directly. Hesson pushed back against separate reports suggesting Agha had refused to attend a royal reception with King Charles III after being dropped from the squad, dismissing the claims as fabricated and stating that the players had been informed in advance that they would not be attending the event. He described the past few days as challenging for the squad, given the mix of departing and arriving players during the transition, while noting that the current group remained focused on the task ahead in the series-ending fixture.

Hesson's remarks come against the backdrop of a broader shake-up within Pakistan cricket, following a series of disappointing results in the longer format this year. The overhaul has left the squad for the Edgbaston Test featuring a mix of experienced campaigners and uncapped newcomers, reflecting the board's attempt to reset the side's direction even as the series outcome against England has already been decided. With the tourists already trailing 2-0 heading into the final match, the Edgbaston Test carries limited bearing on the series result itself, but is expected to offer selectors and team management a clearer picture of the squad's depth heading into future assignments, including preparations for the Asian Games.

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