Pakistan Squad And Krunal Pandya Return - August 31 Cricket Highlights

Pakistan and Krunal Pandya [Source: AFP, x]

The PCB has made a slew of changes to the Pakistan squad as well as to its coaching staff before the third Test against England. In other news, forgotten Indian all-rounder Krunal Pandya is being considered for a place in the national squad for the series against Afghanistan.

Capping an eventful day in the world of cricket, here we take a look at five of the biggest cricketing news that emerged out of Monday, August 31. 

Mike Hesson becomes Pakistan Test coach, Sarfaraz and Umar Gul sacked

In a major overhaul, the PCB has appointed Pakistan’s white-ball coach Mike Hesson as the new Test coach of the side. The sudden appointment was made following Pakistan’s twin Test defeats to England in Leeds and London. 

Also Read- Salman Ali Agha Removed From Pakistan Test Squad Before 3rd Test Vs England

Hesson will be replacing outbound Test coach Sarfaraz Ahmed, who was seemingly sacked in the middle of the series. Bowling coach Umar Gul has also been sidelined to make way for Ashley Noffke.

Rizwan, Salman axed; Saim Ayub and co. named replacements for 3rd Test 

Apart from naming a new head coach, the PCB also released as many as seven players from the Pakistan side for the third Test against England. Players like Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Agha, injured Imam-ul-Haq, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad were among those released from the team.

While players like Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal have been recalled to the Pakistan Test setup, five uncapped cricketers will also be joining the squad, namely Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran Randhawa and Razaullah.

Marnus Labuschagne to be picked for South Africa Tests

Struggling Australian middle-order batter Marnus Labuschagne is set to be retained in the national squad for the upcoming Test series in South Africa. Australian captain Pat Cummins and head coach Andrew McDonald both confirmed the same, with both reportedly being impressed with the cricketer’s commitment in the nets.

Labuschagne has been struggling off late, and he managed to score just 36 runs in three home innings against Bangladesh this month.

PCB to investigate Imam-ul-Haq injury

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is set to launch an investigation into the injury of opening batter Imam-ul-Haq. After the cricketer complained of calf strain, he was forced to miss batting in each of Pakistan’s two innings in the Lord’s Test in London. 

It is worth noting that several fans and cricket experts are of the opinion that Imam “faked” his injury to avoid batting against England bowlers on pace-friendly conditions.

Krunal Pandya likely to return for Afghanistan series

Indian all-rounder Krunal Pandya will likely be making his return to the national squad for the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan. According to reports, the RCB champion has been considered by the BCCI selection committee as a replacement for fellow spin-bowling all-rounder and former vice-captain Axar Patel. 

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