Pakistan have reacted to their heavy series defeat in England by replacing almost half their touring squad and releasing their coach ahead of the final Test at Edgbaston.In an astonishing move even by the volatile standards of Pakistan cricket, seven players have been sent home after England’s emphatic 194-run victory in the second Test at Lord’s, which gave them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.Coach Sarfaraz Ahmed, who only took over a little over three months ago and oversaw Pakistan’s 1-1 draw against the West Indies in the Caribbean, and bowling coach Umar Gul have also been dismissed. Sarfaraz had lost five of his six Tests in charge.Mike Hesson, the former New Zealand coach and now in charge of Pakistan’s white-ball side, takes over for what is essentially a dead rubber in Birmingham next week.Pakistan have released head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed (Stu Forster/Getty Images)It is not a total surprise that some players have departed. Opening batter and senior player Imam-ul-Haq drew widespread criticism for not even attempting to bat after injuring his calf during the second Test and is one of those to be banished now.Imam did appear for the warm-up ahead of the fourth and final day’s play at Lord’s on Sunday but was visibly limping as he shadow-batted some gentle throw-downs. Former England bowler Stuart Broad, now a Sky Sports commentator, dismissed the appearance as “all for show” and could have been conducted in the indoor school.Others appear more unfortunate. Mohammad Rizwan kept bravely and brilliantly at times at Lord’s, taking numerous blows when standing up to the medium-fast pace of Mohammad Abbas, but finds himself out in the cold now.As, too, is spinner Ali Usman who took a five-wicket haul in the first Test defeat at Headingley, and Salman Agha, who was forced to take over as captain in Leeds when Babar Azam injured his finger and was then promptly dropped for the second Test.Also gone from the squad are Khurram Shahzad, who played in both defeats and actually bowled quite well in England’s first innings at Lord’s, and Aamir Jamal and Muhammad Awais Zafar, who did not appear in the first two Tests.Sarfaraz, the former Pakistan captain and keeper, departs after his side won just one of the six Tests under his coaching — that victory in Trinidad over West Indies — despite him appointing Babar for his second stint as captain in place of Shan Masood.He is replaced by Hesson, who spent six years as coach of his native New Zealand and led them to the World Cup final in 2015. Hesson, who also has extensive experience in the Indian Premier League, became Pakistan white-ball coach last year.Pakistan’s white-ball coach Mike Hesson will take charge of the red-ball side for the third Test (Sajjad Hussain/AFP via Getty Images)Among the players announced as replacements by Pakistan are two batters with Test experience, Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal, while Usman’s replacement is left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Arafat Minhas who has played in three one-day internationals and four T20 internationals for his country.The four other newcomers are left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Imran Jnr, wicketkeeper-batter Saad Baig — player of the tournament in Pakistan’s domestic competition the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in 2025-26 — as well as right-arm pace bowlers Mohammad Imran and Razaullah.There is no question that Pakistan Test cricket is in a desperate state and they have been totally outplayed and looked out of their depth in the two Test defeats by England. But such sweeping changes are unprecedented in the middle of a Test series and highlight the turmoil that is never very far from the surface in Pakistani cricket.Babar remains as captain and now has to unite a totally different squad under new management, with Gul being replaced as Hesson’s coaching assistant by former Australia fast bowler Ashley Noffke, as they attempt to avoid the embarrassment of a 3-0 clean sweep when the teams meet at Edgbaston.That final Test of the English summer starts in Birmingham on September 9.