BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Pakistan captain Babar Azam admitted he was blindsided by the decision to tear up his squad ahead of this week's final cricket test against England, saying the drastic cull was "news to me."
Babar learned of the wholesale changes only after an official statement by the Pakistan Cricket Board, he said on Tuesday, the day before the third test at Edgbaston.
“It was news to me,” Babar said in Urdu. "I found out after.
“The PCB decided it, so they will be able to explain better. The PCB's decision must have been taken after some thought process. It's better if you ask them why.”
Heavy defeats at Leeds and Lord's were met with sweeping changes by the PCB, who sent seven players home and removed head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and his assistant Umar Gul.
The replacements summoned included five with no test experience, while white-ball coach Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke were drafted to take charge at Edgbaston.
Babar framed the remarkable overhaul as a fresh chance for the players “to showcase their talent.” None of the Pakistan squad, including Babar, has played a test at Edgbaston.
“The series is lost but we have nothing to lose,” he added. “We should play freely and believe in ourselves as a team.”
He missed the innings loss at Headingley because of a finger injury and made only 8 and 6 at Lord', where Pakistan lost by 194 runs. He said the senior players have to lead the way.
“I firmly believe you need to grab opportunities and perform in difficult conditions,” Babar said. “That's why we play cricket, because we have to perform and dominate in difficult conditions. We need to forget about past failures and shift focus to the future.”
England captain Joe Root considered it “disrespectful” to say Pakistan has showed a lack of fight on tour.
“We've found Pakistan a challenge,” Root said. "I think that's a bit disrespectful to both Pakistan as a team and to us as a team.
"I don't think we've allowed them to get into games because of how well we've played and how quickly we've read the situations and the surfaces that we've had.
“I think it's very easy to say one team is excellent and one team is poor. Normally it's somewhere in the middle. If one team has been outstanding then the other team can't have been poor and vice versa.”
Root's return to the captaincy has gone well but he has had a lean run with the bat this summer, averaging 29.44 in five tests, although pitches have been overwhelmingly in favour of seam bowlers.
Root has been lbw nine times in his past seven tests and struggled with the wicketkeeper standing up to the stumps, but he says he enjoys the challenge of trying to get back into form.
“You're always looking to find ways of improving and there's always going to be something to contend with,” he said. “I've found it quite tricky but I always think that's the fun bit. You shouldn't be worried about what could go wrong. It should be, ‘This is a chance to go and do something special and win a game for your country.’”
England's Joe Root during a cricket nets session in Birmingham, England, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (Nick Potts/PA via AP)
Pakistan's Babar Azam attends a cricket nets session in Birmingham, England, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (Nick Potts/PA via AP)
Pakistan's head coach Mike Hesson, center, raises a hand while speaking to the team during a cricket nets session in Birmingham, England, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (Nick Potts/PA via AP)
Last year’s winner Ousmane Dembélé, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé are among the top contenders for the men’s Ballon d’Or.
The 30 men’s and 30 women’s nominees were revealed by France Football magazine on Tuesday, with the winners to be announced at a ceremony in London on Oct. 26.
In the women's field, two-time winner Alexia Putellas, Ewa Pajor and Melchie Dumornay are among the favorites to take over Aitana Bonmatí. The winner of the past three women’s awards, Bonmatí did not make the cut after missing most of the season through injury. She returned at the end of Barcelona’s quadruple-winning season that included another Champions League title.
Dembélé and Mbappé both played for France at the World Cup, where their team lost to eventual champion Spain in the semifinals. Although it's difficult to win the accolade without a major trophy, Mbappé made history when he overtook Lionel Messi for the most all-time World Cup goals (22) in less games.
After claiming a second straight Champions League title with Paris Saint-Germain, Dembélé has a chance to retain the Ballon d'Or.
Kane had one of his best seasons, scoring 73 goals for club and country and winning the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich. Kane also led England to a third-place finish at the World Cup.
The 39-year-old Messi, who has a record eight Ballon d’Or awards, was on the shortlist after guiding Argentina to a runner-up finish at the World Cup and winning Major League Soccer with Inter Miami. The other three Ballon d’Or winners still active, Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Luka Modric, were not in the list.
Dembélé was one of nine PSG players nominated for the men’s award, including Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Willian Pacho, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz and Vitinha.
In an interview with France Football, Dembélé said he expects the award to remain at PSG. Asked to name his top three in no particular order, he cited PSG teammate Kvaratskhelia, Kane and Mbappé. He also mentioned Michael Olise, Lamine Yamal, Ruiz and Pacho, but did not include himself.
“I don’t think the trophy is undecided. I think it will remain in the hands of a Paris Saint-Germain player," he said.
The other men’s nominees include Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior, Ferran Torres — who scored Spain's winner in the World Cup final — Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham.
Italy, which did not qualify for the World Cup, and the Netherlands and Germany had no representatives. Only one player from Serie A, Lautaro Martínez of Inter Milan, was selected.
There was no goalkeeper nominated, ensuring Lev Yashin remains the only keeper to win the coveted trophy (1963) for another year.
The Ballon d’Or ceremony is moving from its traditional Paris home to London this year to mark the 70th anniversary of the first award won by England great Stanley Matthews.
The Ballon d’Or was created by France Football and has been awarded since 1956 for men, and since 2018 for women. It is voted for by journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings for the men’s award and the top 50 FIFA-ranked countries for the women’s award.
Each journalist, one per country, selects players in ranked order with points attributed to each position. The winner is the player who receives the most points. Organizers say the trophy is awarded based on three criteria, in order of importance: 1, individual performances, decisive and impressive character; 2, collective performances and titles won; 3, class and fair play.
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Betis' Diego Llorente, right, challenges Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Betis and Real Madrid in Seville, Spain, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)
Bayern's Harry Kane scores on a penalty kick during the German soccer cup match between VfL Osnabrueck and Bayern Munich in Osnabrueck, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
London City Lionesses Alexia Putellas runs with the ball during the Women's Super League soccer match between London City Lionesses and Manchester United in Bromley near London, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
