PCB set to send Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq home from England Test tour, reports say
Reports by Saleem Khaliq on August 31, 2026 say the Pakistan Cricket Board plans to send batsmen Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq home from Pakistan’s Test tour of England after defeats at Headingley and Lord’s left the visitors 2-0 down in the three-match series.
Pakistan’s campaign in England has faltered after comprehensive losses at Headingley and Lord’s; at Lord’s they were dismissed for 110 in the first innings and 194 in the second, with Suad Shakeel contributing a 97-run innings, and the match ended in a 194-run defeat that left the series beyond Pakistan’s reach.
Khaliq’s reports indicate team management and selectors are weighing significant changes to the squad, with both Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Rizwan expected to return home rather than remain for the final Test; the reports add that Imam’s situation is being treated as a fitness matter and that the PCB is likely to open an investigation into those concerns.
The coverage states Imam was unavailable to bat in either innings of the Lord’s Test, further weakening Pakistan’s batting order, while Rizwan has come under scrutiny following Pakistan’s poor form in England.
Those departures are reported to create openings for younger players, with Saim Ayub and Arafat Minhas among the names likely to be called up alongside six other Pakistani players as selectors consider a fresher red-ball combination.
Mike Hesson has been called in to take charge of the Pakistani Test team ahead of the final Test, the reports say; Hesson is currently Pakistan’s white-ball coach and the PCB is looking to expand his duties to oversee the Test side, while current coach Sarfaraz Ahmed is likely to remain associated with the team.
Saud Shakeel is Pakistan’s highest run-scorer in the ongoing 2026 Test series against England, accumulating 139 runs across his innings.
With the final Test scheduled to be played at Edgbaston in Birmingham from September 9, Pakistan are left with an opportunity to avoid a series whitewash.