Sports08 September, 20263 min read
England Demolish Pakistan As Pakistan Cricket Board Sends Seven Players Home
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Pakistan were bowled out for 133 as England took a 23-run first-innings lead. Pakistan sent seven players home mid-tour amid a disciplinary inquiry.
5 outlets told this the same way.
Third Test turmoil
Pakistan’s England tour has been roiled by off-field upheaval after England took a 2-0 lead, winning by an innings and 103 runs at Headingley and by 194 runs at Lord’s.
“‘I was not consulted. It was news to me as well.”
In the three-Test series, the Pakistan Cricket Board sent seven players home and called up another seven, while it removed Test coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul and replaced them with white-ball coaches Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke.
Hindustan Times reported that captain Babar Azam faced questions at the Edgbaston media session after Pakistan’s reshuffle, and he said, “I was not consulted. It was news to me as well.”
The BBC described how, after a week of turmoil in which Pakistan sent seven players home, called up seven more and changed their coach, England again dominated on day one at Edgbaston, with Pakistan 133 all out and England 156-4.
The BBC also recorded that Pakistan failed to reach 200 for the fifth consecutive innings, with Saud Shakeel making 43 and Josh Tongue taking 4-42 as Ollie Robinson and Jofra Archer claimed three scalps apiece.
Root and Babar clash
As the third Test at Edgbaston approached, England captain Joe Root pushed back against claims that Pakistan had lacked fight, saying it was “a disservice of respect” to suggest the visitors “had shown no fight.” Root also warned his players not to take Pakistan lightly, adding, “There is a very talented lineup in that dressing room and you have to be prepared for it.” Hindustan Times said Babar Azam maintained he had virtually no role in the PCB decisions that transformed the squad following the Lord’s defeat, and he told reporters, “No.”
The Times of India reported that the PCB announced an investigation into the squad’s conduct during the England tour, bringing match-fixing back into focus after the earlier 2010 spot-fixing scandal. The Times of India further tied the current turmoil to the 2010 Lord’s episode, describing how the sting by Britain’s now-defunct News of the World exposed allegations that Pakistani players deliberately bowled no-balls in return for money.
Edgbaston outcome and stakes
On day one at Edgbaston, the BBC reported that England had Pakistan 133 all out, with England 156-4 and 23 runs ahead, as the hosts moved on course for a 3-0 clean sweep. The BBC said the outcome followed a pattern from the first two Tests, noting that Pakistan made four changes from the second Test at Lord’s, including three debutants, while England resisted tinkering with their attack. The BBC recorded that none of the top five made double figures, while last-wicket pair Muhammad Abbas and Mohammad Ali added 26 in 46 balls, and it highlighted that Josh Tongue bowled quickly for 4-42.
“The world is laughing at us because we can’t even compete.”
In the wider series context, the Guardian’s Taha Hashim argued that Pakistan’s problems extend beyond the pitch, pointing to the PCB’s “nonsensical decision-making” and the “call to discard seven players and two coaches with a game left to play.” Hashim also quoted Aaqib Javed telling Geo News, “The world is laughing at us because we can’t even compete,” as the board’s chair Mohsin Naqvi defended keeping sport and politics apart while also serving as Pakistan’s interior minister.