Pakistan have responded to a Test series defeat against England in the way Pakistan cricket so often does: with a big dose of panic, a lot of changes, and at least a few decisions that leave you staring at the squad list for longer than is probably healthy.
If you have been living under a rock, here is the brief version: Pakistan lost the series to England 2-0, released seven players, removed head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul, and called up five uncapped and two capped players back into the squad for the third Test at Edgbaston.
All of that for a dead rubber.
The changes themselves are not necessarily the problem. Pakistan's Test record has been poor enough to warrant serious questions. The Lord's defeat was their 15th loss in the last 20 Tests and left them bottom of the World Test Championship table. Something had to give.
But it is the manner of the giving that makes this so very Pakistan.
Take Salman Ali Agha. He was the stand-in captain at Headingley. He was dropped for Lord's after concerns over his batting form. He has now been released from the tour altogether. In the space of two Tests, he has gone from leading Pakistan to not being in the squad.
Then there is Ali Usman, who took five wickets in the second innings at Headingley, becoming the first visiting spinner to take a five-for at the ground since 1972. His reward was a ticket home.
Imam-ul-Haq, meanwhile, did not walk out to bat at Lord’s after suffering a calf tear, but was sufficiently committed to his rehabilitation to turn up in shorts with his calf tightly strapped for batting practice in front of the peering cameras. Pakistan have now sent him home too. Dedication, apparently, has its limits.
Mohammad Rizwan’s poor form, Khurram Shahzad’s lack of sting, and Aamer Jamal and Awais Zafar – neither of whom played a game – are also returning home.
That's not the end of the list. The coaching staff awaits.
Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul have also gone despite only taking charge in April. This was their third series. Apparently, that was enough time to conclude. They have been replaced, at least in part, by Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke, Pakistan's white-ball head coach and bowling coach. The fielding coach Mansoor Amjad is likely removed from his role too, but more on him later.
The new players at least offer a mixture of conventional and less conventional selection calls. Saad Baig was the leading run-scorer in the last Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, making 1,000 runs at 55.55. Right-arm pacer Mohammad Imran Randhawa has 58 first-class appearances and picked up 23 wickets in last year's Quaid-e-Azam Trophy at 28.30. Arafat Minhas has already played international cricket. Razaullah, another right-armer, made his first-class debut last season and has 30 scalps at 20.86.
Then there is the other end of the spectrum.
Saim Ayub has played only two first-class matches since his last Test in January 2025. Abdullah Fazal is back after being unfit for the England tour.
Mohammad Imran Jnr has played eight first-class matches since November 2022, with his most recent coming last year. He has played just four professional games this year - all white-ball games - making it another questionable pick. His selection could be down to Pakistan having moved on from Shaheen Shah Afridi and wanting another left-arm quick, but when the logic behind one of your Test selections requires a little detective work, it rather captures the mood around the whole thing.
Also Read: Pakistan have forgotten how to fight
And just when it seemed the overhaul could not become any more comprehensive, the PCB got LinkedIn involved, with a job advertisement looking for a fielding coach.
The listing says they require an individual with a “proven ability to effectively work with a wide range of individuals from varied backgrounds”. A useful skill, perhaps, when you have just dropped half your squad halfway through a Test tour.
It is particularly timely given reports that Pakistan's former fielding coach, Amjad, organised a drills session during a 10-minute innings break. The players turned up for only the last two minutes. But now, rather surprisingly, his old position is vacant.
The LinkedIn comments, naturally, have attracted everyone from ‘genuine’ applicants to people taking the opportunity to have a little fun at Pakistan's expense. It is difficult to blame them.
There is a difference between being bad at cricket and being chaotic about being bad at cricket.
Pakistan are currently struggling at the first part. The second is more damaging because it makes it harder to believe there is a coherent plan for fixing the first. You can forgive a bad team. It is harder to have faith in one that seems to keep changing its idea of what the problem is.
And just as this article was being wrapped up, reports emerged that Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq have resigned from Pakistan's selection committee after the PCB made the sweeping changes without consulting them. We leave you to guess who goes next.
Pakistan needed a response after another Test series slipped away. What they have produced instead is something much harder to defend: a reaction so sweeping, so hurried and so difficult to follow. Until there is some consistency in how Pakistan decide what needs fixing, another overhaul risks changing little.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
