Babar Azam says surprised by PCB's seven-player overhaul

BIRMINGHAM: Pakistan captain Babar Azam on Tuesday said he was unaware of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision to overhaul the squad during the ongoing Test series against England.

The Green Shirts, who entered the England tour with a 1-1 series draw away against West Indies, were blown away by the hosts in the opening fixture, which the latter won by an innings and 103 runs.

The subsequent match at Lord's, where Pakistan had not lost since 2010, saw them suffer an equally gruelling defeat by a substantial margin of 194 runs.

Following the back-to-back defeats, the PCB forced an overhaul, replacing seven members of the squad, including the senior trio of Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq and Salman Ali Agha, while also bringing in white-ball head coach Mike Hesson and assistant coach Ashley Noffke for the ousted duo of Sarfaraz and Umar Gul, respectively.

Pakistan captain Babar, who managed to hold on to his place in the squad, was asked on the eve of the third Test against England whether he was part of the decision-making that went into the shake-up.

In response, the 31-year-old revealed that it was also a "news" for him and insisted that the cricket board could explain the decision better.

"No, it was news for me too. I also came to know about this later. But as I said earlier, the PCB made this decision. [So], I think they will explain it better," said Babar.

When asked whether it would make things more difficult for the team to finalise the playing XI for the upcoming fixture, Babar disagreed and instead insisted that it was a "golden opportunity" for the youngsters to express themselves and showcase their talent.

"Yes, a surprise for us. But the new players are coming. They have a golden opportunity to grab and play this game," Babar stated.

Earlier this week, the PCB also announced launching an internal disciplinary inquiry following media reports concerning discipline and conduct during the national team's ongoing tour of England.

Consequently, the matter was brought up during Babar's press conference, but the Pakistan captain said he had no idea about the inquiry and neither was he part of the discussions surrounding it.

Last week, Director High Performance and national selector Aaqib Javed, while speaking on Geo News' programme 'Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath', defended the PCB's decision to force an overhaul, and instead argued that the captain and head coach are responsible for selecting the playing XIs.

Responding to Javed's remarks, Babar insisted that he, alongside now-ousted head coach Sarfaraz, fielded the Playing XI they collectively thought was the "best" according to the conditions.

The Pakistan captain, however, acknowledged that the touring side was not up to the mark in any of the three departments and thus asserted that criticism follows when a side fails to deliver.

"If we talk about the last match, we didn't play well as a team in all three areas, batting, bowling and fielding. If you don't play as a team, if you don't get good results, such things will continue to happen," said Babar.

"But the playing XI we fielded at that time, reading the pitch and looking at the conditions, we felt that was the best. We just couldn't get the results as we should have," he added.

The skipper also revealed that they have shortlisted 12 players for the third England Test and shall finalise the playing XI by further assessing the conditions.

"We have almost formed 12-a-side and [will give it] the final touch tonight or tomorrow morning as to which combination we would go. So, our final lineup is almost ready," Babar revealed without indulging into further details.

"Look, we have not yet analysed the final conditions since I came here straight away [for the media talk]. So, we will see and will go with what would be the best combination for the team."

With the ongoing three-match series already conceded, Pakistan captain Babar stressed that they have nothing to lose and thus advised his players to play freely and must believe in themselves before expressing his confidence that the visitors would perform well in the upcoming contest.

"For us, the series has been lost. But there is nothing to lose. We should play freely. We should believe in ourselves as a team.

"As a team, we have been practising for a couple of days. We have talked to each other. We have explained to the new guys.

"Whenever a new team comes. The youngster gets excited. That excitement is visible.

Inshallah, you will see better things in the match."