Pakistan Coach Breaks Silence On Reports Of Salman Ali Agha Snubbing King Charles Meeting
Pakistan's interim red-ball head coach Mike Hesson dismissed speculations surrounding Salman Ali Agha not attending the meeting with King Charles III at Clarence House.
- Mike Hesson dismissed speculations surrounding Salman Ali Agha not attending the meeting with King Charles III
- The entire Pakistan squad was invited for the royal event ahead of the third Test match against England
- “Look, I know there's been a void in the news, but people are just making up stories," Hesson said
Pakistan's interim red-ball head coach Mike Hesson dismissed speculations surrounding Salman Ali Agha not attending the meeting with King Charles III at Clarence House. The entire Pakistan squad was invited for the royal event ahead of the third Test match against England and it was attended by all members of the travelling party. However, the absence of Agha sparked speculation and some reports linked it to the changes made to the Pakistan squad after the 2nd Test. Pakistan lost both of their Test match against England and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decided to remove 7 players from the squad for the third Test and even released head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul.
Aamer Jamal, Ali Usman, Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad were present at the royal event while Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Rizwan had reportedly returned home. However, Hesson dismissed any such speculations and said that all three players, including Agha, had already been released from the squad before he joined the team.
“Look, I know there's been a void in the news, but people are just making up stories. Salman Ali Agha, as I've said, the three players were released from the squad before I arrived, well before Buckingham Palace,” Hesson said.
“They were sent a note at that time that these three players would not be attending Buckingham Palace. So, someone's just made something up,” he added.
Hesson, who had been serving as Pakistan's white-ball head coach, was subsequently handed the red-ball reins for the third and final Test in Birmingham, starting September 9.
"Look when they (Pakistan Cricket Board) told me if I could manage the side for the final Test, these three players (Rizwan, Agha and Imam) were already released from the squad and (were) on their way home. So, I really don't know what happened there," Hesson told a media conference in Birmingham.
Hesson said that he was involved in the release of the rest of the players and the inclusion of some new players.
"We already had a white-ball camp in Lahore and I had just returned from Japan where the Asian Games are taking place, when I was asked if I could manage the red-ball squad," he added.
(With agency inputs)
Pakistan Cricket Team
England Cricket Team