'Outside noise' ignored, but Pakistan can't escape scoreboard as they crumble at Edgbaston with Babar falling for 7

Babar Azam tried to shut out the noise surrounding Pakistan ahead of the third Test against England at Edgbaston, but the team ended up creating plenty of noise of its own on the field.

Pakistan made four changes to their playing XI after a turbulent week following their heavy defeat at Lord’s, with three players handed Test debuts. Babar insisted that the team was focused only on the match and was not bothered by the chatter surrounding the squad. However, the changes failed to produce the desired response in the opening session as Pakistan slipped to seven wickets down for under 100 runs, giving social media plenty to talk about.

Babar says Pakistan are ignoring the ‘outside noise’

Speaking during the toss, Babar was asked about the chaotic week Pakistan had experienced and whether it had been difficult to deal with as captain.

“Not difficult. Yes, after that we had a couple of changes, but I think a good opportunity to new boys, and yes we are trying to do our best in this match,” Babar said.

He then insisted that the team was concentrating on matters within its control.

“Look, outside noise is not under (our) control. We are just trying to prepare for this match and just think and look after ourselves in the group, we are not thinking about outside noises. We are just trying to do our best in this match,” he said.

— pctstorage_ (@pctstorage_) 'Outside noise' ignored, but Pakistan can't

Four changes, three debuts… and seven wickets down

Pakistan arrived at Edgbaston with a significantly reshuffled squad, with Babar revealing at the toss that they had made four changes, including three Test debuts and the return of Saim Ayub. The PCB’s bold reshuffle was aimed at giving the team a fresh start after the Lord’s defeat.

But the fresh-look Pakistan side quickly found itself in familiar territory. The situation made Babar’s pre-match claim about ignoring the outside noise particularly amusing, Pakistan may have been avoiding social media, but their scoreboard was generating enough discussion on its own.

Seven wickets fell for fewer than 100 runs in the opening session, with Babar contributing just seven runs before walking back to the pavilion.

Pakistan’s decision to overhaul their XI was expected to provide a reset after the Lord’s defeat. Instead, the early collapse suggested that changing the personnel has not immediately changed the team’s fortunes.