Birmingham [UK], September 2 (ANI): The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced a 15-member squad for the third and final Test of the three-match series against Pakistan.
Fast bowler Brydon Carse was not considered for selection after he was briefly arrested outside a bar in Derby and subsequently left out of England’s squad for the second Test against Pakistan, according to Cricinfo.
Carse was filmed being led away from the bar in handcuffs, with police later confirming that he had been arrested and subsequently de-arrested. Following the incident, he was withdrawn from England’s squad for the second Test at Lord’s.
Carse was replaced in England’s squad for the second Test by fast bowler Sonny Baker, who has retained his place for the third Test at Edgbaston as well. The only change to England’s squad is the omission of pacer Matt Fisher, leaving a 15-member group for the series finale.
Meanwhile, Pakistan made major changes to their Test set-up ahead of the third and final Test against England from September 9, replacing almost half of their squad and releasing head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul following heavy defeats in the first two Tests against Three Lions. Pakistan suffered a 194-run defeat in the second Test, allowing England to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. In the first Test, Pakistan had lost by an innings margin.
PCB released seven players from the squad, including Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Agha, Ali Usman, Aamer Jamal, Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad after the loss at Lord's. In their place, Pakistan have brought in five uncapped players along with Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal, who have a combined experience of just 10 matches. The five uncapped players added to the squad are Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran Randhawa and Razaullah. The PCB also roped in Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke, who are part of Pakistan's white-ball coaching set-up as head coach and bowling coach, respectively.
England squad for third Test:
Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root (captain), Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue. (ANI)
England announce 15-member squad for 3rd Test against Pakistan
