Babar Azam’s Pakistan cricket team lost to England by 194 runs in the third Test which ended at Lord’s on Sunday.
Published: September 1, 2026, 12:50 PM IST
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Babar Azam (right) and Shaheen Afridi(Photo: IANS)
England vs Pakistan 2026 3rd Test: Babar Azam and Pakistan team are staring down the barrel after their second successive loss to England – losing the second Test by 194 runs – to lose the three-match series 2-0 with one game remaining in Birmingham next weekNews about rift between two star Pakistan cricketers – Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi – is now emerging and being blamed for rapid downfall of the team, especially in Test cricket.
Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has alleged that a rift between the two star Pakistan cricketers is the reason for recent failures of the team in international cricket“Babar Azam is not a strong captainI am not speaking about this based on the performance in EnglandHe has made many wrong decisionsThe main reason for Pakistan cricket’s downfall is the rift between Shaheen and BabarWhen there was a falling-out between the two over the captaincy, Pakistan cricket was ruined that day,” Basit said on the ‘Game Plan’ show.
“Many statements were made, saying Shaheen is a very good bowler and Babar is a very good batterThe rift, whoever created that, the side effects can be seen now,” he added.
Pakistan Cricket Board make MASSIVE changes for Birmingham Test
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday decided to send home seven members of their touring Test squad home and replace them with a fresh set of players ahead of the third Test against England.
Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad have all been released from the squad, the PCB announced on MondayThe PCB also released head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul, replacing them with Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke, respectively.
The major changes come after Pakistan suffered heavy defeats in the first two Tests at Leeds and Lord’sThe third and final Test is scheduled to begin on September 9.
The seven replacements players to join the team before next week are Saim Ayub, Abdullah Fazal, Arafat Minhas, Saad Baig, Muhammad Randhawa, Razaullah and Muhammad Imran JrOut of these seven, five have played international cricket, while two — Muhammad Randhawa and Razaullah — are yet to represent Pakistan at any level.
Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal have played eight and two Tests respectively, while left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Arafat Minhas has represented Pakistan in three ODIs and four T20IsThe other four players include left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Imran Jnr, wicketkeeper-batter Saad Baig, who was the Player of the Tournament in the 2025-26 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, and right-arm pace-bowling all-rounders Mohammad Imran, also known as Imran Randhawa, and Razaullah.
Updated Pakistan Test squad for Birmingham Test
Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Fazal, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Imran, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Razaullah, Saad Baig (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah
