--- title: "Pakistan Cricket Board overhauls Test squad and coaching staff after two losses to England" description: "Most outlets led with the Pakistan Cricket Board’s decision to release seven players and replace the head coach following two heavy defeats by England. Geo News and Dawn emphasized the criticism from former captains and coaches, who described the move as a “panic-button” reaction. The Nation framed the changes as a strategic overhaul ahead of the upcoming Test in Birmingham, without highlighting the backlash. All three outlets provided similar factual details about the personnel changes but differed in the emphasis given to the reactions from former players." url: https://harzaviya.com/stories/5713-pcb-releases-seven-players-from-pakistan-test-squa site: HarZaviya language: en --- # Pakistan Cricket Board overhauls Test squad and coaching staff after two losses to England sports · latest filing 1 Sep 2026, 9:30 PM PKT · 31 Aug – 1 Sep 2026 · 13 articles from 12 outlets over 2 developments ## How it developed Newest development first. Each carries its own coverage and, where we have one, our summary of it. ### 1 Sep 2026 — Pakistan Cricket Board overhauls Test squad and coaching staff after two losses to England (3 outlets) > Most outlets led with the Pakistan Cricket Board’s decision to release seven players and replace the head coach following two heavy defeats by England. Geo News and Dawn emphasized the criticism from former captains and coaches, who described the move as a “panic-button” reaction. The Nation framed the changes as a strategic overhaul ahead of the upcoming Test in Birmingham, without highlighting the backlash. All three outlets provided similar factual details about the personnel changes but differed in the emphasis given to the reactions from former players. - **Dawn** — [Ex-captains question PCB's 'panic-button' squad shake-up ahead of third England Test](https://www.dawn.com/news/2026659/ex-captains-question-pcbs-panic-button-squad-shake-up-ahead-of-third-england-test) · 1 Sep 2026, 9:30 PM PKT > The Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision to axe seven players and the head coach after two crushing defeats by England triggered a furious backlash from former captains and coaches who branded the shake-up as “panic-driven” chaos. Yesterday, the PCB announced dropping seven players, including Mohammad Rizwan, Imamul Haq, and Salman Ali Agha, from the Test squad after the completion of the Lo... - **The Nation** — [PCB overhauls Pakistan Test squad and coaching staff ahead of Birmingham clash](https://www.nation.com.pk/01-Sep-2026/pcb-overhauls-pakistan-test-squad-coaching-staff-ahead-birmingham-clash) · 1 Sep 2026, 6:45 PM PKT · 72% identical wording to the newest filing > The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made sweeping changes to Pakistan’s Test setup following the Lord’s Test against England, releasing seven players and revamping the red-ball coaching team ahead of the Birmingham Test. - **Geo News** — [Ex-captains question Pakistan board's 'panic-button' squad shake-up](https://www.geo.tv/latest/680157-cricket-ex-captains-question-pakistan-boards-panic-button-squad-shake-up) · 1 Sep 2026, 6:42 PM PKT · 88% identical wording to the newest filing > From , former coach Mickey Arthur, former PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja, former captain Shahid Afridi, former England batter Kavin Pietersen. — ICC/AFP/Instagram/FileThe Pakistan Cricket Board's decision to axe seven players and the head coach after two crushing defeats by... ### 31 Aug 2026 — PCB releases seven players from Test squad after Lord’s Test (10 outlets) > Most outlets reported the Pakistan Cricket Board’s decision to release seven players from the Test squad following the Lord’s match against England, with several also noting the release of two coaches, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul. A few outlets, such as *Dawn* and *Daily Times*, specifically named the players like Mohammad Rizwan and Imamul Haq, while others like *Aaj News (English)* and *Dunya News* emphasized the overhaul of both the squad and coaching staff. Some, like *The Express Tribune*, highlighted the timing in relation to a series loss, while others framed it as a routine adjustment ahead of the third Test. - **Daily Times** — [PCB releases 7 players, 2 coaches ahead of final England Test after Lord’s defeat](https://dailytimes.com.pk/1546404/pcb-releases-7-players-2-coaches-ahead-of-final-england-test-after-lords-defeat/) · 1 Sep 2026, 9:16 AM PKT > The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday announced that seven players alongside two coaches, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul, have been released from the Pakistan Test squad ahead of the Third Test against England in Birmingham. The players released are Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar and Khurram […] - **Hum News English** — [PCB makes seven changes ahead of third Test against series-clinching England](https://humenglish.com/latest/pcb-makes-seven-changes-ahead-of-third-test-against-series-clinching-england/) · 1 Sep 2026, 12:05 AM PKT · 79% identical wording to the newest filing > WEB DESK: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made seven changes to the national Test squad ahead of the third and final Test against England, who have already clinched the series. The PCB released Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad from the squad, according to a notification issued by the board. The changes come ahea... - **Dunya News** — [PCB overhauls Pakistan Test squad after Lord's Test, releases seven players and coaches](https://dunyanews.tv/en/Sports/970671-pcb-overhauls-pakistan-test-squad-after-lords-test-releases-seven-pl) · 31 Aug 2026, 11:18 PM PKT · 86% identical wording to the newest filing > PCB has released seven players, including Mohammad Rizwan, from Pakistan’s Test squad while Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul have also left the coaching staff. - **Pakistan Observer** — [Pakistan Make Seven Changes to Test Squad After Lord’s Defeat](https://pakobserver.net/pakistan-make-seven-changes-to-test-squad-after-lords-defeat/) · 31 Aug 2026, 10:31 PM PKT · 77% identical wording to the newest filing > The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has released seven players from the national Test squad following the conclusion of the Lord’s… - **Aaj News (English)** — [PCB axes seven players, two coaches ahead of third England Test](https://english.aaj.tv/news/330470275/pcb-axes-seven-players-two-coaches-ahead-of-third-england-test) · 31 Aug 2026, 9:59 PM PKT · 88% identical wording to the newest filing > The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has overhauled the Test squad and coaching staff ahead of the third and final Test against England, releasing seven players and two coaches following the team’s poor performance in the series. Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan, opener Imam-ul-Haq, all-rounder Salman Ali Agha, spinner Ali Usman, fast bowler Aamer Jamal, Mohammad Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad ... - **Dawn** — [Seven players, including Rizwan and Imam, released after second Test defeat in England: PCB](https://www.dawn.com/news/2026428/seven-players-including-rizwan-and-imam-released-after-second-test-defeat-in-england-pcb) · 31 Aug 2026, 9:26 PM PKT · 86% identical wording to the newest filing > The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday announced the release of seven Test squad members, including Mohammad Rizwan, Imamul Haq and Salman Ali Agha, during the ongoing series against England. The cricket board’s decision came after Pakistan suffered a thumping 194-run defeat to England in the second Test at Lord’s. With the victory, the hosts took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match... - **Minute Mirror** — [PCB releases seven players from Pakistan test squa...](https://minutemirror.com.pk/pcb-releases-seven-players-from-pakistan-test-squad-ahead-of-third-england-test-622191/) · 31 Aug 2026, 9:21 PM PKT · 83% identical wording to the newest filing > The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has released seven players from the national Test squad following the completion of the Lord’s Test with several new faces set to join the team ahead of the third Test against England. - **Daily Pakistan (English)** — [PCB releases 7 players from Test squad ahead of third England Test](https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/31-Aug-2026/pcb-releases-7-players-from-test-squad-ahead-of-third-england-test) · 31 Aug 2026, 9:16 PM PKT · 91% identical wording to the newest filing > LAHORE – The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the release of seven players from the Test squad following the conclusion of the Lord’s Test. The players released from the squad are Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamer Jamal, Mohammad Owais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad. They will be replaced by seven players, […] - **24 News HD** — [PCB releases seven players from Test squad after Lord’s match](https://www.24newshd.tv/31-Aug-2026/pcb-releases-seven-players-test-squad-lord-s-match) · 31 Aug 2026, 9:06 PM PKT · 85% identical wording to the newest filing > The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has released seven players from the Test squad following the completion of the Lord’s Test against England, 24NewsHD TV reported on Monday. - **The Express Tribune** — [PCB replaces seven players in Test squad after series loss to England](https://tribune.com.pk/story/2626749/pcb-replaces-seven-players-in-squad-after-series-loss-to-england) · 31 Aug 2026, 3:55 PM PKT · 84% identical wording to the newest filing > The board also releases former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, Umar Gul from their roles ## Part of a bigger story Other stories whose coverage resembles this one, nearest first. "% related" compares whole stories, not single articles — see [what the percentages mean](https://harzaviya.com/methodology). - [Pakistan to make Test squad changes following England tour](https://harzaviya.com/stories/5602-pakistan-face-test-squad-shake-up-after-massive-defeats) · 31 Aug 2026 · 3 outlets · 81% related - [Pakistan Cricket Board announces two changes to Test squad ahead of West Indies and England series](https://harzaviya.com/stories/402-pakistan-cricket-board-announces-two-changes-to-test-squad) · 27 Jul 2026 · 5 outlets · 78% related - [PCB seeks explanation over Rizwan and Imam's selection for Test squad](https://harzaviya.com/stories/5870-pcb-seeks-explanation-over-rizwan-imam-selections) · 1 Sep 2026 · 7 outlets · 77% related - [PCB set to remove Sarfraz Ahmed and Umar Gul from Test team roles](https://harzaviya.com/stories/5693-sarfaraz-umar-gul-to-be-relieved-of-coaching-after-third) · 1 Sep 2026 · 5 outlets · 75% related - [Babar Azam returns to training and confirms 90% fitness for second Test against England](https://harzaviya.com/stories/4394-babar-azam-likely-to-return-as-pakistan-consider-changes) · 27 Aug 2026 · 10 outlets · 4 developments · 70% related 13 articles from 12 outlets, 31 Aug – 1 Sep 2026. Headlines and links belong to their outlets — HarZaviya links out and never copies article text. --- HarZaviya compares how Pakistani outlets cover the same story. It stores and shows each outlet's headline and a short excerpt, and links out — it never copies article text, and every headline belongs to the outlet that wrote it. It takes no stance on any outlet. Pages: [Top stories](https://harzaviya.com/) · [Latest headlines](https://harzaviya.com/feed) · [Archive](https://harzaviya.com/archive) · [Why](https://harzaviya.com/why) · [Sources](https://harzaviya.com/sources) · [Methodology](https://harzaviya.com/methodology) · [About](https://harzaviya.com/about) · [About the bot](https://harzaviya.com/about-bot) Trackers: [Gold prices](https://harzaviya.com/gold-prices) · [Fuel prices](https://harzaviya.com/fuel-prices) · [Stock exchange](https://harzaviya.com/stock-exchange) Any page on this site is available as markdown: send `Accept: text/markdown`, or add `.md` to the path.