Some of the mystery surrounding the dramatic recall of seven Pakistan players from the England tour after their defeat in the second Test with one game left to play is starting to come into sharper focus. With one Test left to play against England, Pakistan are already 2-0 down, having lost the first Test at Headingley by an innings and 103 runs and then the second Test to England at Lord’s by 194 runs.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) media director Amir Mir announced on Monday that the board had initiated an “internal disciplinary inquiry following media reports concerning discipline and conduct, which are currently being reviewed internally.” He did not specify what the inquiry was about, but some former Pakistan players had told their TV channels earlier that some incident had happened in the dressing room which led to Pakistan taking the unprecedented measure to send home seven players in the middle of a tour.

“The PCB handles such matters in accordance with its standard procedures. The process is being conducted under PCB regulations, ensuring that all concerned individuals are given due consideration,” Mir said in a statement on X.

Pakistan’s Salman Agha, second right, is congratulated by teammates for taking a brilliant catch to dismiss England’s Jordan Cox during the second cricket test match between England and Pakistan in London, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026.

“At this stage, any speculative reports or unverified claims circulating on certain platforms, particularly those originating from hostile external sources, should not be regarded as credible. The PCB will not comment further at this time. The Board advises stakeholders and the public to rely on official PCB communications.”

Former Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Yousuf had earlier hinted that the recall of seven players had been because of some issue inside the dressing room.

Pakistan’s players celebrate the wicket of England’s Ben Duckett on day two of the second cricket test match between England and Pakistan in London.

PCB also sent home head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and his assistant Umar Gul with Pakistan white-ball coach Mike Hesson and former Australia seamer Ashley Noffke taking charge for the final Test.

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Muhammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Khurram Shahzad, Aamir Jamal and Muhammad Awais Jafar were sent home to Pakistan with one final Test still left in the tour. Of these seven, the latter two did not play in any game but were still penalised. In their place, Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal, who have played for Pakistan before, and Arafat Minhas, Mohammed Imran Jr, Said Baig, Mohammad Imran and Razaullah were called up.