ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s turbulent tour of England has taken another sharp twist, with the Pakistan Cricket Board launching an internal disciplinary inquiry after dramatically recalling seven players and two coaches midway through the series.
The PCB has not named the players under investigation. The move comes in the wake of heavy defeats at Lord’s and Headingley and amid swirling speculation over what has been happening off the field.
PCB media director Amir Mir confirmed the inquiry in a statement on X on Monday, stressing that the matter was being dealt with behind closed doors.
“The PCB has initiated an internal disciplinary inquiry following media reports concerning discipline and conduct, which are currently being reviewed internally,” Mir said, adding that the board was following its standard procedures and PCB regulations, and that “all concerned individuals are given due consideration.”
Rumours, though, have raced ahead of the official line.
Local media reports claimed the board had accessed data from the mobile phones of Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Rizwan before both players were sent home. Geo News reported that the team’s security officer took possession of the phones after Pakistan’s 194-run defeat in the second Test at Lord’s, returning them only hours before the players flew out of the UK.
Mir pushed back hard against the noise.
“At this stage, any speculative reports or unverified claims circulating on certain platforms, particularly those originating from hostile external sources, should not be regarded as credible,” he said. “The Board advises stakeholders and the public to rely on official PCB communications.”
Selection Earthquake Mid-Tour
On the field, the response to the twin hammerings at Lord’s and Headingley has been nothing short of seismic.
In a sweeping mid-series overhaul, the PCB recalled seven squad members and removed Sarfaraz Ahmed from his role as Test coach, parachuting in Mike Hesson. Bowling coach Umar Gul has also been replaced, with Ashley Noffke taking over the reins ahead of the third and final Test in Birmingham, starting Wednesday.
The changes have split opinion across Pakistan’s cricketing circles. One of the four selectors, Aaqib Javed, and PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi have publicly defended the shake-up, insisting it was necessary. Former stars Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik have been among the loudest critics, questioning both timing and method.
Caught in the crossfire are the players themselves.
Rizwan, the wicketkeeper-batter, opening batter Imam-ul-Haq, and Salman Ali Agha — who captained Pakistan in the first Test — were among the first batch of seven players sent home before Hesson even linked up with the squad in England.
Fast bowler Khurram Shahzad and left-arm spinner Ali Usman, both involved in the first two Tests, were also released. All-rounder Aamir Jamal and Mohammad Awais departed without facing a ball in anger at Lord’s or Headingley.
Noffke: “Always Something Going On”
Amid the swirl of intrigue and upheaval, new bowling coach Ashley Noffke insisted he was not part of the disciplinary picture.
“I sit outside of that decision-making model,” Noffke told reporters after a practice session at Edgbaston.
He has spent almost 15 months working with Pakistan’s white-ball side and sounded unsurprised by the off-field drama.
“There’s one thing that I’ve learnt about being in Pakistan and coaching for a period of time — nearly 15 months now with the white ball team — is there’s always something going on in the background,” he said. “And whether or not it’s in or out of our control, most of the time it’s out of the player’s control, they need to focus on the cricket that they have in front of them because there’s some really great opportunities here for young cricketers that are highly skilled.”
So Pakistan arrive in Birmingham battered on the scoreboard, reshaped in the dressing room, and now shadowed by a disciplinary probe that refuses to drift away.
The third Test at Edgbaston will not just be about salvaging a series. It will be a measure of how a shaken, remodelled side copes when the noise off the field is almost as loud as the crowd inside it.
