• Sarfaraz Ahmed sacked after 194-run loss at Lord’s

• White-ball coach Mike Hesson steps in

Pakistan have decided to rip up their plans during an already chaotic tour of England by announcing that seven players and head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed have been sent home before the third Test at Edgbaston next week.

Already confirmed to lose the series after going 2-0 down with a 194-run defeat at Lord’s on Sunday, Pakistan have now asked Mike Hesson, the New Zealander who runs their white-ball teams, to replace Sarfaraz as head coach. Umar Gul, their bowling coach, has also been swapped out for the Australian Ashley Noffke.

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© Photograph: Saud Ahmed/PPAUK/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Saud Ahmed/PPAUK/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Saud Ahmed/PPAUK/Shutterstock

Little sorcerer calls time on playing for his country six weeks after World Cup final defeat which was marred by brutality of his team-mates

• Cape Town stunt sparks major debate over safety risks

• Airlink insists flyby conducted according to regulations

A pre-game stunt involving two passenger jets flying dramatically low over a stadium in South Africa drew huge cheers from the estimated crowd of 56,000 people, but also sparked a major debate over safety risks. The flyby by two Embraer jets, operated by the local airline Airlink, happened on Saturday before the second rugby union Test between South Africa and New Zealand in Cape Town.

The flight tracking service Flightradar24 estimated that the lead jet passed just 41-46 feet (12-14 metres) above the roof of Cape Town Stadium, with the crowd and the world’s top-ranked rugby teams below. The second jet, which was very close behind, flew through a cloud of pink dust that shot up from the stadium roof as part of the show.

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© Photograph: Jamie Rossouw/Reuters

© Photograph: Jamie Rossouw/Reuters

© Photograph: Jamie Rossouw/Reuters

• Cape Town stunt sparks major debate over safety risks

• Airlink insists flyby conducted according to regulations

A pre-game stunt involving two passenger jets flying dramatically low over a stadium in South Africa drew huge cheers from the estimated crowd of 56,000 people, but also sparked a major debate over safety risks. The flyby by two Embraer jets, operated by the local airline Airlink, happened on Saturday before the second rugby union Test between South Africa and New Zealand in Cape Town.

The flight tracking service Flightradar24 estimated that the lead jet passed just 41-46 feet (12-14 metres) above the roof of Cape Town Stadium, with the crowd and the world’s top-ranked rugby teams below. The second jet, which was very close behind, flew through a cloud of pink dust that shot up from the stadium roof as part of the show.

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© Photograph: Jamie Rossouw/Reuters

© Photograph: Jamie Rossouw/Reuters

© Photograph: Jamie Rossouw/Reuters

• Interim coach Trescothick hopes for unchanged lineup

• England secured series win over Pakistan on Sunday

Marcus Trescothick is determined to sign off as England’s interim head coach with a 100% record and has no plans to meddle with a winning formula in next week’s final Test of the summer, despite securing the series win by beating Pakistan at Lord’s.

Two successful games into a series, the most likely cause of a lineup change would be fatigue, but Pakistan have not forced England to toil unduly over their two wins – last summer the average India innings lasted 107.5 overs; this summer Pakistan’s figure is 43.3. Meanwhile winning the second Test on day four means the players have nine clear days before action resumes at Edgbaston.

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© Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

© Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

© Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

The wicket was not as bad as the one in June but presented enough challenges for the MCC to call in specialists

The performance of the Lord’s pitch during its previous Test, against New Zealand in June, was so appalling that it was followed by an apology from the MCC and a scathing unsatisfactory rating from the International Cricket Council.

The MCC got ahead of the game in this Test by issuing a statement early in the fourth innings, reassuring us that “independent specialists” were “confident that there are solutions to improving pitch quality and performance”.

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© Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

© Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

© Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Ollie Robinson’s metronomic medium-nip represents the new age – sometimes, you just get the heroes you need

Each age makes its own heroes. Two hours from the end of the final day of the second-last Test at the fag‑end of the post‑Bazball summer, the cheer from the Lord’s crowd at deep fine leg had something pointed about it, a crackle of event glamour.

Ollie Robinson turned as he ambled back and raised an arm in gladiatorial salute. “Oh Ollie Ollie, Ollie Ollie Ollie Ollie Robinson” was the response from a scattered, woozy swell, again with something arch and transgressive in it, the smell of anti-hero. What are you rebelling against, Johnny? What have you got? Also, if you really want to know, buzzword culture and enforced fitness regimes. Sometimes, you just get the heroes you need.

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© Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

© Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

© Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

• Team have faced off-field scandals over the last year

• Root: ‘It’s hard to win Test series so enjoy it’

Joe Root has called on his players to “celebrate in a sensible, grown‑up way” after they secured a first multi‑game series win since 2024 by beating Pakistan at Lord’s to take a 2-0 lead with one to play.

England’s recent opportunities for celebration have often resulted in scandal and Root intends to end the scandals rather than the celebra­tions. “It’s important we’re not ­talking about [off-field matters], absolutely,” he said. “But it’s hard to win Test matches, it’s hard to win Test series, so enjoy it and celebrate it, but in a sensible, grown-up way. It’s been a really good start to, I don’t know what you want to call it, this new team.”

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© Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

© Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

© Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian