Pakistan Test squad stripped of seven players and two coaches before Edgbaston

The Pakistan Test squad for Edgbaston has been rebuilt mid-series, with seven players released and two coaches removed. Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq are among those sent home. Babar Azam stays on as captain. England already lead 2-0. The third Test starts on 9 September.

Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul have both gone. Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke, who work with the white-ball side, take temporary charge for the final match. The changes were announced on Monday.

Seven sent home

Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq are the best known of the seven. Salman Ali Agha goes too. So do Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad. Aaj English and The News both put the number released at seven.

• Mohammad Rizwan
• Imam-ul-Haq
• Salman Ali Agha
• Ali Usman
• Aamir Jamal
• Muhammad Awais Zafar
• Khurram Shahzad

Seven changes to a group of 17 is heavy traffic for a series with one match to run. The News Mill described it as the replacement of nearly half the squad. Pakistan named the reshaped group and the coaching change on the same day.

The core that survives

Babar Azam leads again, a point confirmed by the ICC, Aaj English and The News Mill alike. Shan Masood stays. So do Saud Shakeel and Abdullah Shafique. Mohammad Abbas and Mohammad Ali hold their places in the seam group, and Sajid Khan is retained.

Azan Awais and Ubaid Shah also travel on. England sealed the series at Lord's, the ICC reported, so the retained core is playing for a consolation and for the World Test Championship standings.

The coaching group changes mid-series

Sarfaraz Ahmed captained Pakistan before he moved into coaching, as Aaj English notes. He leaves the Test job with one match of the series to run. Umar Gul goes with him.

Hesson is Pakistan's white-ball head coach and Noffke his bowling coach. The ICC described the pair's Test responsibility as temporary and limited to Edgbaston. No permanent replacement has been named.

The uncapped intake

Saim Ayub, Abdullah Fazal and Arafat Minhas come in with international cricket already behind them, according to the ICC. Four more have never played a Test: Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Mohammad Imran Randhawa and Razaullah. The News gives the same count of four. Aaj English and The News Mill instead put five players in line for a debut, counting Arafat Minhas among them.

Three of the four are bowling additions. The ICC describes Mohammad Imran Jnr as a left-arm pacer, with Mohammad Imran Randhawa and Razaullah listed as pace all-rounders. That reshapes an attack that has carried Abbas and Mohammad Ali through two Tests.

Saad Baig is a wicketkeeper. The News Mill also lists Muhammad Ghazi Ghori as a keeper. With Rizwan released, the gloves are open.

Nine days to Edgbaston

The third Test runs from 9 to 13 September at Edgbaston in Birmingham, the ICC reports. Nine days separate Monday's announcement from the first ball. Four players in the group have no Test cricket behind them and a stand-in coaching pair to settle under.

• Babar Azam (captain)
• Abdullah Fazal
• Abdullah Shafique
• Arafat Minhas
• Azan Awais
• Mohammad Abbas
• Mohammad Ali
• Muhammad Imran
• Mohammad Imran Jnr
• Muhammad Ghazi Ghori
• Razaullah
• Saad Baig
• Saim Ayub
• Sajid Khan
• Saud Shakeel
• Shan Masood
• Ubaid Shah

One match remains. Pakistan will play it with a squad rebuilt on tour and a coaching pair borrowed from the white-ball side.