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Pakistan sack coach, send seven players home after England defeats / Photo: © AFP
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Pakistan sack coach, send seven players home after England defeats
Pakistan have ditched head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and sent several squad members back home in a dramatic response to successive Test thrashings by England, officials announced Monday.
The tourists suffered an innings and 103-run loss in the series opener at Headingley before going down by 194 runs at Lord's on Sunday as England took an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match campaign.
The team has been labelled one of the country's worst sides in decades and the Pakistan Cricket Board has now decided drastic action is required ahead of next month's third Test at Edgbaston.
They have brought in white-ball coach Mike Hesson to replace former Pakistan captain Ahmed, with ex-Australia seamer Ashley Noffke taking over from tour bowling coach Umar Gul, while also making huge changes to the squad.
Among the players who have been axed are wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan and opener Imam-ul-Haq, unable to bat in either innings at Lord's because of a calf strain.
Also returning home is Salman Ali Agha, Pakistan's stand-in skipper at Headingley when regular captain Babar Azam was injured.
"The Pakistan Cricket Board has today announced that seven players have been released from the Test squad following completion of the Lord's Test," said a PCB statement issued Monday.
"The players include Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad."
The statement added: "Additionally, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul have also been released and will be replaced by Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke in the backroom staff."
S. Soares--JDB
