Pakistan vs England second Test: According to the Pakistan Cricket Board, Babar and both of the top pacers are being “rested on the basis of current form and fitness.”
Due to a bad run of form, Pakistan’s previous cricket captain and top hitter, Babar Azam, has been left out of the hosts’ Test squad and will not be included in the team for the second and third Test matches against England.
Leading speed bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah will be joining Babar, who led Pakistan in all formats till November, on the sidelines, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced in a statement on Sunday.
Selector Aqib Javed declared, “We have decided to rest Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Shaheen Shah Afridi [from the Test squad].”
Pakistan vs England second Test
The decision to bench the elite players was made, according to Javed, a former fast bowler for Pakistan, based on their “current form and fitness” as well as their impending cricket trips.
Abrar Ahmed, a leg-spin bowler, was ruled out of selection because he was recovering from dengue disease and missed a portion of the first Test.
The 16-man team for the second Multan Test includes Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, and Kamran Ghulam, three uncapped players.
Pakistan vs England second Test The team also includes off-spinner Sajid Khan and fast bowler Muhammad Ali.
The biggest surprise to fans of Pakistani cricket is Babar’s absence, considering the last time he was left out of the Pakistan Test squad was in December 2020.
Babar has not yet reached a fifty in a Test match in the last eighteen innings due to his recent struggles at the bat. In September of 2024, he achieved his highest Test score of 31 in the second Test against Bangladesh.
The decision, according to the selectors, may allow the players to recover and rest.
Pakistan vs England second Test
“We have no doubt that these players—especially Babar Azam—will regain their confidence thanks to this break from international cricket,” he stated.
“They still rank among our best players and have a lot more to offer Pakistani cricket.”
Babar has only missed five Tests since making his debut against the West Indies in Dubai in 2016; two of those were in his first series, against England in Leeds in 2018 and two in New Zealand in 2020.
Following Pakistan’s loss, head coach Jason Gillespie and captain Shan Masood supported Babar, stating that he simply needed more time to get back into shape.
Pakistan vs England second Test The right-handed batter now holds the top spot in the one-day international rankings and was previously ranked first among batsmen in all three formats by the International Cricket Council.
The beginning of 2023 saw a sharp decline in his form. After scoring just 126 in six innings in Australia and 64 in the two home Tests against Bangladesh last month, he averaged just 21 in his past nine Test matches.
Two days after the PCB reassembled their selection panel, including veteran pace bowler Javed and Azhar Ali in addition to the current Asad Shafiq, the axe fell on Babar, Shaheen, and Naseem.
Aleem Dar, a former top panel umpire, was also included by the PCB in an uncommon move.
The series’ last game will take place in Rawalpindi starting on October 24, with the second Test starting in Multan on Tuesday.
Squad (for second and third Tests):
Shan Masood, the captain; rear row: Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Noman Ali, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), and Zahid Mehmood.
Source: Aljazeera