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PCB sends seven players home from England; Kamran Akmal criticises decision

Pakistan Cricket Board released seven players, including Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha, after losing the first two Tests against England. Former cricketer Kamran Akmal criticised the move, while Misbah-ul-Haq reportedly resigned from the selection committee.

By Tertius News AI Desk 4 distinct · 4 mastheads · 4 articles Version 3 Coverage Sep 1, 2026 Published 1h ago

PCB releases seven players after Lord's defeat

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed on Monday evening that seven players, including Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha and Imam-ul-Haq, were released from the Test squad midway through the England series. The decision came after Pakistan lost the first two Tests against England. The board also named seven replacements ahead of the third and final Test in Birmingham.

The PCB also made changes to the coaching staff, with Test head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul released from their roles. White-ball coaches Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke have taken charge of the Test team for the third Test.

Kamran Akmal criticises the decision

Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal criticised the PCB's decision, arguing that senior players could have remained with the squad even if they were not in the playing XI. Speaking on the 'Game Plan' show, Akmal said: "There was one more Test left. You could have had both Agha and Rizwan in the squad. You could have dropped them from the playing XI. You should have kept them in the squad. They are your senior players. They have been captains. Sending them back is not a good message for the remaining players."

Akmal added that the decision could increase pressure on the remaining squad members. "This will result in more pressure for the remainder of the team. It is not a good decision; if you are sending them back, then the chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, needs to rejig the entire system. Make a new team. This decision to send back players is not good for our country, and it doesn't send a good message to the rest of the world," he said.

Player performances and context

Salman Ali Agha captained Pakistan in the opening Test at Headingley in the absence of regular captain Babar Azam, but was dropped from the second Test at Lord's after Babar's return. Mohammad Rizwan scored 61 runs in four innings against England and faced criticism for his shot selection. Imam-ul-Haq suffered a calf injury on the first day of the second Test and did not bat afterward, leading to speculation about the severity of the injury. A former Pakistan selector alleged that Imam has a history of faking injuries.

Misbah-ul-Haq reportedly resigns from selection committee

Former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has reportedly resigned from the PCB's selection committee after being excluded from the decision to recall the seven players. According to The Express Tribune, Misbah submitted his resignation to the PCB. A source familiar with the matter confirmed the development, saying, "Yes, he has sent his resignation to the PCB."

Misbah was reportedly unhappy with the way the changes were made and particularly with being left out of the discussions. He joined the selection committee in March 2026 as part of a revamp of the panel.

How each outlet told it

A framing line is our reading of that outlet's own text — an interpretation, not a quotation and not a fact we assert. Check it against what the outlet published.

Cricket Addictor

Framing: Criticizes the PCB chairman by name over the decision to send players home

as of Sep 1, 2026, 10:46 AM UTC

Facts Included:

The PCB released Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha and Imam-ul-Haq along with four other players after Pakistan lost the first two Tests against England.
The PCB named seven replacements for the third and final Test against England in Birmingham.
Test head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were removed from their roles.
White-ball coaches Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke took charge of the Test team for the third and final Test.
Kamran Akmal said on the 'Game Plan' show: 'There was one more Test left. You could have had both Agha and Rizwan in the squad. You could have dropped them from the playing XI. You should have kept them in the squad. They are your senior players. They have been captains. Sending them back is not a good message for the remaining players.'
Salman Ali Agha captained Pakistan in the first Test when Babar Azam was absent.
Rizwan scored only 61 runs in four innings against England.
Imam-ul-Haq suffered a calf injury on the first day of the second Test.
Several former cricketers alleged Imam was faking the injury.

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Hindustan Times

Framing: Criticism of PCB's decision to send players home, framing it as harsh and harmful to the country — Critical and disapproving

as of Sep 1, 2026, 3:17 AM UTC

Facts Included:

PCB sent seven players back home from England including Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha and Imam-ul-Haq
Seven replacements were named and will join the Pakistan camp ahead of the third Test in Birmingham
Test head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were released and replaced by Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke
Kamran Akmal criticized the PCB decision
Agha led Pakistan in the first Test in absence of captain Babar Azam and was dropped on his return
Rizwan has been in poor form with 61 runs in four innings
Imam had a dismal first Test and suffered a calf injury
A former Pakistan selector alleged Imam has a history of faking injuries
Pakistan squad for third Test listed

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India Today

Framing: The tone is neutral and factual, focusing on the reported events and statements.

as of Sep 1, 2026, 11:16 AM UTC

Facts Included:

Misbah-ul-Haq has reportedly resigned from the Pakistan Cricket Board's selection committee after being excluded from the decision to recall seven Test players from England.
According to The Express Tribune, Misbah has submitted his resignation to the PCB.
A source confirmed the development, saying, 'Yes, he has sent his resignation to the PCB.'
The PCB made changes to Pakistan's Test squad following their defeat at Lord's, releasing seven players and bringing in replacements for the Edgbaston Test.
The PCB also made changes to Pakistan's coaching staff, with Sarfaraz Ahmed removed as red-ball head coach and Umar Gul relieved as fast-bowling coach.
Misbah joined the PCB selection committee in March 2026 as part of a revamp of the panel.

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The Times of India

Framing: Emphasizes criticism from a former Pakistan cricketer (Kamran Akmal) and directs a message to PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi

as of Sep 1, 2026, 4:17 AM UTC

Facts Included:

PCB released seven players from the squad midway through the England Test series
Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, and Imam-ul-Haq were among the seven players sent back
Seven replacements were announced ahead of the third Test in Birmingham
Test head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were released from their roles
White-ball coaches Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke took over coaching roles
Kamran Akmal criticized the decision and said it sends a bad message
Akmal suggested the players could have been dropped from the playing XI instead
Agha had captained Pakistan in the opening Test at Headingley in Babar Azam's absence
Rizwan scored 61 runs in four innings against England and faced criticism for shot selection
Imam-ul-Haq picked up a calf injury on the first day of the second Test
A former Pakistan selector alleged that Imam had previously faked injuries

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What was claimed, and who backed it

AI-extracted; can misattribute a claim — see Methodology.

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status is Contested when two claims on this page negate each other; otherwise it counts the distinct outlets we found asserting that specific claim — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimThe PCB named seven replacements for the released players ahead of the third Test in Birmingham.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets · 2 distinct) via Hindustan Times as of Sep 1, 2026, 3:17 AM UTC, The Times of India as of Sep 1, 2026, 4:17 AM UTC
ClaimImam-ul-Haq suffered a calf injury on the first day of the second Test and did not bat afterward, leading to speculation about the severity of the injury.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Hindustan Times as of Sep 1, 2026, 3:17 AM UTC
ClaimThe PCB made a controversial decision to release players and replace coaching staff, which was criticised by former players and commentators.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Hindustan Times as of Sep 1, 2026, 3:17 AM UTC
ClaimKamran Akmal said the PCB chairman (Mohsin Naqvi) should overhaul the entire system rather than sending players home mid-series.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Hindustan Times as of Sep 1, 2026, 3:17 AM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

4 distinct · 4 mastheads · 4 articles consulted: Cricket Addictor, Hindustan Times, India Today, The Times of India 4 claims extracted Version 3 Written 2026-09-01