ENG vs PAK: Babar Azam wasn't aware of Pakistan's team changes for 3rd Test
Babar Azam (Source: Getty Images)
Published - 09 Sep 2026, 09:27 AM• Read time - 2 mins
Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam has made a shocking claim that he was unaware of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) major overhaul of their team after the defeat in the second Test against England at Lord’s. PCB made seven changes to their squad after a 194-run defeat and also revealed head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul.
When asked about the sudden changes, Babar said he was unaware of them but added that they must’ve come after a careful thought process.
"It was news to me. I found out after. The PCB decided it, so they'll be able to explain better. The PCB's decision must have been taken after some thought process. It's better if you ask them why,” Babar said in the pre-match press conference ahead of the third Test.
After a comprehensive defeat at Lord’s, the PCB released seven players from the squad, namely Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad. The board announced seven replacements, out of which five have never played Test cricket.
Pakistan desperate to avoid whitewash
Pakistan's high-performance director Aaqib Javed was also severely critical of the team selections in the series so far. While Babar acknowledged that they were outplayed in all three facets of the game but said that they played the best playing combination in the first two Tests.
"We didn't play well in all three facets as a team. And when you don't get results, then you'll get plenty of criticism from outside. But we did what thought was best at the time. The way we read the pitch and conditions, the XIs we went with were what we thought was best at the time. But we did not get the results or performance we expect of ourselves,” he added.
Meanwhile, Pakistan will head into the third Test, desperate to avoid a whitewash. They have never lost every match of a Test series in England and will be desperate to salvage some pride heading into the final Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham.