ENG vs PAK, 3rd Test: Pakistan players, led by Babar Azam, were seen engaging in a bizarre game of football during a seemingly indoor training session ahead of the third Test against England at Edgbaston in Birmingham, beginning on September 9, Wednesday. In a video surfaced on social media, the visiting players were seen playing football with Babar Azam also joining them.
ENG vs PAK, 3rd Test: Mike Hesson joins Pakistan’s squad ahead of the final game of the series
The video also saw white-ball coach Mike Hesson, who linked up with the squad after replacing Sarfaraz Ahmed in the role. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made sweeping changes to not only the squad for the third Test but also the backroom staff. With Sarfaraz and Gul released from the coaching duties, Hesson will take over as head coach, while Ashley Noffke has been appointed as the bowling coach. Meanwhile, Awais Zafar, Aamer Jamal, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Rizwan, Khurram Shahzad and Ali Usman have been released. In their place, Abdullah Fazal, Saim Ayub, Arafat Minhas, Razaullah, Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran Jnr and Mohammad Imran have been added to the squad.
Pakistan are preparing to win the FIFA World Cup with their cricket team 🤣🔥
And, they’ll say: “Why couldn’t we win?” 😁 pic.twitter.com/OUnZkx44zh
— Mukku (@Cric_Mukku) September 4, 2026
The changes have come keeping in mind Pakistan’s insipid performances in the first two Tests, especially by the batters. The visitors have failed to cross 200 in four innings despite Babar returning in the second Test at the Lord’s Cricket Ground after missing the series-opener at the Headingley in Leeds due to a hand injury.
ENG vs PAK, 3rd Test: Was Mike Hesson part of Pakistan’s red-ball selection panel? Ex-New Zealand coach answers
Speaking during a presser on Friday, Hesson said he has had no say in selecting the squads for Test, unlike white-ball cricket. But the 51-year-old claimed that he remains keen on fielding a balanced side for the final Test and said, as quoted by Geo News:
“I’ve never been involved in red-ball cricket at all, so I’m not part of the selection panel. I’m part of the white-ball selection panel. When this side was selected for this tour, I had no involvement at all. When I took over, there were three players who had already left the squad: Rizwan, Imam and Salman Ali Agha. From there, it was a matter of trying to find a balanced squad for us for the third Test. Obviously, we needed to make changes anyway, and we needed to find a balance that would give us a bowling attack the best chance to compete in these conditions. Certainly, that was the starting point.”
Pakistan have played eight Tests in Birmingham but are yet to win one.
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