Pakistan Test Squad has made a startling transformation before the third Test between Pakistan and England with seven players cut in preparation for the next one.Seven players have been dropped and Mike Hesson has joined the supporting crew for Pakistan before the third Test against England, with a dramatic change over. The changes follow the massive Pakistan defeat in the second Test and secure victory in the series for England who left for the end of the year tour unbeaten at 2-0. The key to this choice being especially bizarre is that Pakistan had to be altered before the match of the dead rubber test before it, replacing all experienced names for five names who’ve never played a national representative match with some inexperienced names thrown into the mix on top of that, and even reshaping the coaching staff.

A mix of old hands, familiar faces and some green sides are now in the Pakistan Test Squad that may witness some debuters in Test cricket at Edgbaston in Birmingham. In addition Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal have been called back from among those with little experience of playing red-ball cricket.

There are a number of big changes in the coaching department. Sarfaraz Ahmed, who had just taken over as head coach, and his bowling coach Umar Gul have both been let go. Pakistan’s white-ball coaching team will now be led by Mike Hesson who will now be working with the Test side as well as Ashley Noffke.

This is in response to the pressure-cooked situation of Pakistan Tests. The loss in the second game marked their 15th consecutive loss in their last 20 Test outings, and they are now languishing at the bottom of the Wankhede’s rankings in the World Test Championship. Given the continued poor form, the selectors have felt compelled to make a radical change rather than fine-tuning up the playing XI.

Seven players have been waived from the touring team namely Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Agha, Ali Usman, Aamer Jamal, Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad. Those were their abductions, raising questions, especially regarding Rizwan and Usman.

The major area where Rizwan has failed on the tour is finding the runs, and the other area that hasn’t been a drag is his wicketkeeping. Usman, however, is relieved to get the departure as he does one of the finest bowling spells in the series. The spinner picked up his first hat trick of wickets in winning at Headingley, the first for any overseas spinner to cross the line since 1972.

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has also debunked the logic behind the turnaround, especially when it involved players who were less than seasoned in the Test format. The timing has been further exacerbating the debate as Pakistan’s coming match cannot affect the result of the series.

Simultaneously, with that, the Pakistan Test Squad has got five uncapped players whereas Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran Randhawa and Razaullah have all featured in the 50-over matchups. The only one with international experience is Minhas who has been Pakistan’s representative in one ODI against Australia.

Saad Baig has come after a superb season at home. The wicketkeeper-batter was the leading tallie of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and player of the tournament. He adds a new format to Pakistan’s advantage in the wicketkeeping ranks as they are expected to bring in Muhammad Ghazi Ghori.

The speeders also gain a great influx of youngsters. Randhawa is the most experienced of the three uncapped quicks having made 58 first-class appearances. Razaullah’s eight first-class appearances and Mohammad Imran Jnr’s amount of red-ball experience in the last three seasons are limiting factors.

Another big talking point is Saim Ayub’s return! The left-hander hasn’t played for Pakistan since the T20 World Cup, and has been dealing with fitness issues. He scored his maiden century recently in the Caribbean Premier League but has had very sparse first-class career.

But the most serious problem is whether such alterations will result in a short-term refurbishment of England. It’s an experience in English cricket that isn’t always tender to inexperienced players and adding a couple of new bloods at a time is wrong.

The task for Hesson, therefore, is far more than just picking a new XI. He has a short time frame in which to establish himself in a team that has seen a number of turnover’s in players and mentorship. The third Test could provide a chance to discover players’ talents for the future, but the Pakistan side will also like a performance that will make them feel good after the tricky series.

Last but not least, the Edgbaston Test could at least let us know if Pakistan’s dramatic “reset” signals the start of a rebuilding process or yet another knee jerk reaction to a poor performance. The Pakistan Test Squad has undergone considerable transformation but a mere change of name won’t help the team fix the issues it has. Now the players are given an opportunity to help build the foundation of Pakistan’s upcoming Test gen next from an unexpected opportunity.

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