Pakistan has made dramatic changes to its Test cricket setup following consecutive defeats against England in their ongoing series. After losing the first two matches, the Pakistan Cricket Board replaced head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul with white-ball coach Mike Hesson and bowling coach Ashley Noffke for the upcoming final Test. Additionally, seven players were sent home, including wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan and opener Imam-ul-Haq, among others who had featured in recent matches.
This overhaul comes as Pakistan struggles significantly in away Test matches, having lost ten of their last eleven contests. Coach Sarfaraz’s brief tenure proved disappointing, with the team winning just one of six away Tests during his three-month period in charge. Captain Babar Azam’s return to leadership has similarly failed to reverse the downward trend, as Pakistan drew against the West Indies before losing both England Tests.
India undertook comparable restructuring during their 2014 England tour, which also ended poorly. After losing heavily in the Test series, the Indian cricket board reassigned support staff for the subsequent ODI series, appointing Ravi Shastri as Director of Cricket and bringing in new assistant coaches Sanjay Bangar and Bharat Arun. The fielding coach position was also reassigned. Unlike Pakistan’s situation, India’s adjustments yielded positive results, as the team won their ODI series 3-1 against England.
Originally reported by Sports.yahoo →
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