Reports: Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq dropped from Pakistan squad over conduct concerns

Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq (Photo by Stuart Leggett/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Nearly a week has passed since the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) ordered seven players and two coaches to return home following consecutive Test defeats against England, yet fresh details about the episode continue to surface. Senior players Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq and Salman Ali Agha were among those sent back, and the circumstances surrounding their exits are proving more complicated than a straightforward change in direction.

As reported by The Hindustan Times, the decisions to remove Rizwan and Imam were not driven by form alone. Conduct inside the dressing room was also a factor, and all three players, Rizwan, Imam and Agha, have been asked to present themselves before a committee to account for specific incidents that occurred during the tours of the West Indies and England.

Meanwhile, Test coach Sarfaraz was replaced by Mike Hesson, who will take charge for the third and final Test at Edgbaston. Hesson, who previously served as white-ball coach, has been integrating specialists from that setup into the squad for the final match.

What were the on-field concerns around Rizwan and Imam?

Rizwan’s batting offered little to defend across the series. He gathered just 61 runs from four innings, and his shot selection at Lord’s was widely criticised, with his overall reading of match situations drawing sharp scrutiny from observers.

Imam’s case carried its own complications. He did not face a single delivery in either innings of the Lord’s Test, having reported a calf strain. His absence from the crease throughout that match prompted widespread questions about his commitment, and those doubts appear to have weighed on the PCB’s thinking when the decision to send him home was made.

Agha had captained Pakistan in the first Test in Babar Azam’s absence but was dropped for the second match before being included in the group sent back ahead of the Edgbaston fixture.

What is happening with the selectors and the coaching setup?

The fallout has reached the selection committee as well. A PCB show-cause notice was served to the selectors, demanding an explanation for why Rizwan and Imam had been picked for both the West Indies and England tours. That notice prompted selector Misbah-ul-Haq to submit his resignation, though it remains unclear whether the PCB has formally accepted it.

Senior selector Aaqib Javed is also expected to be removed from the panel as PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi pursues a broader overhaul of the cricketing structure. On the coaching front, the PCB is keen to retain Hesson in a permanent capacity, though the arrangement will only be formalised if Hesson himself is willing to commit to the role on a long-term basis.

“The rest of the players sent back were done so on the recommendation of interim red-ball head coach Mike Hesson, who wanted to try out some players he had worked with in the white-ball camp,” the report noted.