Javed blames Babar Azam & Sarfaraz for Pakistan's Test failure

The chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selection committee, Aaqib Javed, has put himself on fire after removing several players from the squad midway through the three-match England Test series. Javed has fired at Babar Azam and Sarfaraz Ahmed for their failure in the longest format of the game.

Pakistan, during the ongoing three-match Test series against England, failed to cross 200 runs in the first four innings with the bat. They lost the opening game at Leeds by an innings inside just three days, while the second encounter ended in four days only due to the rain.

"Someone had to take action" — Javed slams Babar-Sarfaraz's playing XI calls

During a conversation with Geo TV, Javed explained what caused the board to remove Sarfaraz from the coaching panel ahead of the third Test at Edgbaston and bring their white-ball coach, Mike Hesson, into the role. He accused the captain-coach duo of failing to take certain decisions on the field.

“They (the management) had a pace all-rounder available, a second wicketkeeper, a fast bowler in Ubaid Shah. But those decisions were not being made. I spoke to the captain (Babar Azam) and coach and asked them to put Ubaid in because the other bowlers (Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali and Khurram Shahzad) are all similarly paced.” Javed said in the interaction.

The selection committee’s chief highlighted how the entire decision of picking the playing XI was on the captain and coach, which they botched up big time.

“No batter in our top seven bowls. We should have included an allrounder, but most importantly, get in Ubaid Shah, who bowls close to 140kph. One fast bowler changes the composition of your attack.” He addressed.

“I understand dropping [Salman] Agha, who's out of form, but you should have played Ghazi Ghori instead of [Mohammad] Rizwan [as the wicketkeeper]. When management fails to make tough calls, action has to be taken. We have already lost the series, and the world is laughing at us because we aren't even competing.” Javed concluded.

Inside Pakistan's back-to-back Test defeats and seven-player squad overhaul vs England

After Pakistan’s two successive defeats in the Test series against England, which kept them at the bottom of the points table in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025/27, the PCB decided to remove seven players from the current squad: Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Agha, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad.

They called up Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal for the final Test in Birmingham. Fast bowlers Razaullah Khan and Mohammad Imran, left-arm spinner Arafat Minhas and wicketkeeper Saad Baig could also come into the squad if their visas are arranged in time.

Pakistan’s updated squad vs England for third Test-

Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Fazal, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Imran, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wicket-keeper), Razaullah, Saad Baig (wicket-keeper), Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah.