PCB probes discipline as Pakistan's England tour unravels — SkimNews
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- Pakistan Cricket Board launched an internal disciplinary inquiry into "media reports concerning discipline and conduct" amid the team's tour of England, warning against "speculative reports" from "hostile external sources."
- Pakistan sent seven players home and called up seven replacements after losing the first two Tests at Headingley (by an innings and 103 runs) and Lord's (by 194 runs), falling 2-0 down in the three-match series.
- Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and assistant Umar Gul were also replaced, with Mike Hesson — who oversees Pakistan's white-ball sides — and former Australia seamer Ashley Noffke taking charge for the third Test at Edgbaston.
- Salman Ali Agha, who captained the first Test before being dropped for the second, wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, and Imam-ul-Haq were among the seven players banished; only replacements Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal had prior Test experience.
- Former captain Shahid Afridi called the PCB's sweeping changes "the most shocking decision ever by a selection committee."
- New coach Ashley Noffke told media in Birmingham he was "in the dark" over the investigation, saying there is "always something going on in the background" in Pakistan cricket and that players must focus on the Edgbaston Test starting Wednesday, September 9.
Why it matters: The PCB is now juggling a disciplinary probe, wholesale squad upheaval, and an interim coaching staff taking over mid-series — and even that interim staff admits they don't know what's being investigated. With only two of the seven replacements having Test experience and the series already lost, Pakistan risk fielding a threadbare side at Edgbaston while the board's internal turmoil plays out publicly.
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