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Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday defended the sweeping changes to the national Test squad after two heavy defeats by England, saying the overhaul was necessary to improve performances ahead of the third Test in Birmingham.

“I have never been afraid of criticism, and I never will be,” Naqvi said in an interview in London.

England won the first Test at Headingley by an innings and 103 runs before sealing the series with a 194-run victory at Lord’s.

The PCB responded by releasing seven players, including Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq and Salman Ali Agha, and calling up seven replacements for the third Test.

Naqvi acknowledged Pakistan’s Test performances had been “very poor” but pointed to progress in white-ball cricket.

Pakistan are fifth in the ICC ODI rankings and sixth in T20 internationals. Naqvi said they had won four of six ODI series and that their T20 success rate had risen from 24 percent to 73 percent.

“Those who say Pakistan cricket has been destroyed — look at what the rankings were before,” he said.

He also rejected the notion that individual defeats meant Pakistan cricket was collapsing.

“South Africa lost to Namibia, India lost to Ireland. Check there — did cricket end there too?” Naqvi said.

“For us, each and every match is important.”

Naqvi said changes would be made when performances demanded them, but insisted the PCB was not looking to discard players without reason.

“Agha is a wonderful player, but he didn’t click,” he said. “We don’t mean to kick out any player, but if someone is not performing, we will change.”

“Yes, we need a lot of improvements in our Test series ,” Naqvi added.

He also said he would not tolerate the humiliation of players and that his confidence in them remained intact.

The PCB has also removed head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul, with Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke taking charge of the Test side.

The board has separately sought explanations from selection committee members Aaqib Javed, Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq over the recommendation of Rizwan and Imam for the Test squad.

Misbah-ul-Haq has also decided to resign from the national selection committee. “Yes he has sent his resignation to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB),” a well-placed source told The Express Tribune. He will serve a notice period before formally stepping down, the source said.

Pakistan have meanwhile arrived in Birmingham, with Abdullah Fazal, Arafat Minhas and Imran Randhawa joining the squad.

The team will train at Edgbaston at 9:30am on 4th September before the third Test against England begins at the same ground on September 9. amunra.qpon

New Delhi [India], September 2 (ANI): Pakistan batter Imam-ul-Haq could face a ban of up to two years over the controversy surrounding his injury during the second Test against England at Lord’s, reported Geo News.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is in the process of setting up a high-level investigation committee to look into the circumstances surrounding Imam’s calf injury, Geo News sources said on Wednesday.

According to the sources from Geo News, Imam could potentially be handed a ban of one to two years if the inquiry finds him guilty of misconduct. The matter has also brought renewed scrutiny on an earlier injury-related controversy involving the left-handed batter during Pakistan’s tour of New Zealand in March 2025.

Imam suffered a low-grade calf strain while fielding on the opening day of the Lord’s Test and subsequently did not bat in either of Pakistan’s innings. Pakistan were bowled out for 110 in their first innings after England posted 290 and were dismissed for 194 while chasing 389 in the second innings, resulting in a 194-run defeat and a 2-0 series loss.

Sources said the PCB’s latest investigation was prompted by concerns surrounding the nature of Imam’s injury and his subsequent unavailability.

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The development has also revived the findings of a PCB inquiry into an incident during the New Zealand tour. Imam was reportedly held responsible by the committee for allegedly fabricating, exaggerating or misrepresenting symptoms after a ball struck his right big toe during an indoor net session on March 28, 2025.

The committee had reportedly concluded that Imam had misled medical staff and deliberately attempted to make himself unavailable for Pakistan’s opening ODI of that tour.

Meanwhile, wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan is also facing scrutiny over disciplinary concerns, according to sources. The PCB is likely to question Rizwan in the coming days, while his inclusion in Pakistan teams in the near future is considered unlikely, sources added.

Both Imam and Rizwan were among seven players released from Pakistan’s Test squad following the heavy defeat at Lord’s. Salman Agha, Ali Usman, Aamer Jamal, Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad were the other players left out.

Pakistan have made sweeping changes ahead of the third and final Test against England, with five uncapped players added to the squad. Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke have also joined the Test coaching staff.

The third Test will be played at Edgbaston from September 9, with Pakistan seeking to avoid a series clean sweep after losing the first Test by an innings and the second by 194 runs. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

The first-ever edition of the ICC Women's Champions Trophy is set to take place from February 14 to 28, 2027, in India.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) shared a post on its official social media handle, confirming the development. All the matches of the marquee event will be played at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai and the Vadodara International Cricket Stadium in Vadodara.

A new chapter in women's cricket is waiting to be written 🤩

The dates and venues for the inaugural Women's Champions Trophy in 2027 are locked in 🔒https://t.co/QrY2iyDwyU

— ICC (@ICC) September 2, 2026

Initially, Sri Lanka had the hosting rights, but the event has now been moved to India. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) will continue to make the requisite reforms outlined at the ICC’s Annual Conference in July.

ICC chairman Jay Shah expresses views on inaugural Women's Champions Trophy

The chairman of the ICC, Jay Shah, said that the tournament will help the teams to continue rising through the rankings.

"The ICC Women’s Champions Trophy 2027 marks an exciting new chapter for women’s cricket. As the inaugural edition of the tournament, it will bring together the best teams in the world in an intense, high-quality competition, while creating even greater incentive for teams to continue rising through the rankings and competing for a place on the global stage," he said.

"With a marquee ICC women’s event now taking place every year, we have a significant opportunity to build greater momentum, provide more consistency and create a stronger rhythm for the women’s game, its players and its fans around the world," added Shah.

The Women's Champions Trophy will be played in the T20I format with the six teams competing in the round-robin league. The top two teams will advance to the title clash of the marquee event on February 28, 2027.

The event will consist of Australia, England, Team India, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka as they seek to become the inaugural winners of the women's tournament.

Currently, the Asian teams are busy featuring in the ongoing Women's T20 Asia Cup.