India, Sept. 2 -- Once world beaters, Pakistan cricket has long descended into chaos across formats. In Tests, in particular, the side has fallen to the bottom of the World Test Championship table in the current cycle, managing just two wins in eight games. But on Monday evening in London, the team was reduced to utter "shock and confusion" when nearly half of the side, along with two coaches, were released from the squad right in the middle of the Test tour of England.

The upheaval came a day after Pakistan suffered a harrowing 194-run defeat at Lord's, conceding the three-match series 0-2. It was their sixth loss in the WTC cycle.

In a drastic and unprecedented move, Pakistan removed seven players - Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salma...