'No doubt they have been disappointed, incredibly disappointed...': Hesson on PAK team

Interim Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson is urging his newly restructured squad to push past mid-series disruption and produce a stronger performance in the third and final Test against England at Edgbaston starting on September 9.

The tour reached a critical turning point after Pakistan suffered back-to-back defeats—falling by an innings and 103 runs at Headingley and by 194 runs at Lord's—giving England an unbeatable 2-0 lead. In an unprecedented move, the Pakistan Cricket Board overhauled the group mid-series by sending seven players home, calling up seven replacements, and appointing Hesson—already the white-ball coach—to replace Test coach Sarfaraz Ahmed.

Hesson was originally in Japan preparing for the Asian Games and was only scheduled to travel to the UK for a team meeting with King Charles.

"I was heading over to see the King and be part of a nice occasion. That got expedited," Hesson told reporters at Edgbaston.

The administrative overhaul saw senior figures including Imam-ul-Haq and Salman Ali Agha—who captained at Headingley during Babar Azam's injury—sent home alongside left-arm spinner Ali Usman and seamer Khurram Shahzad. Out of the seven incoming replacements, only batters Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal have previous Test experience.

The sudden roster shift created a surreal environment inside the team hotel ahead of the final fixture.

"The last couple of days have been challenging for being in a hotel with some players coming, some players going and then the arrival of everyone," Hesson explained. "The guys are probably more used to a little bit of chaos than I am. There is no doubt they have been disappointed, incredibly disappointed."

Despite the sudden turnover, Hesson noted that the group is focusing on moving forward together before taking the field in Birmingham.

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"We have had to park that and go 'righto, where to from here?' They have been really good over the past couple of days," he added. "I don't think anyone wants this to happen in the middle of a series."

Looking ahead to the final match, the coach emphasised that rebuilding the attack with proper bowling variety remains his top priority.

"From my perspective, it is about putting a balanced squad together, not only for this Test, so we actually have some variety in our attack," Hesson said. "Pakistan is known for the pace, unusual actions, mystery spin -- we haven't really been able to present any of that." (AFP)