Lahore: Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam was dropped on Sunday, while the pace duo Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah opted to withdraw from the remaining two Tests against England.
This is the first time that Babar has been “rested” from the red-ball side in his 54-Test career.
“Taking into consideration the current form and fitness of key players and looking ahead to Pakistan’s future assignments in the 2024-25 international cricket season, the selectors have decided to give rest to Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Wrist spinner Abrar Ahmed has also been left out as he’s recovering from dengue fever. Notably, Babar has been in poor form in Tests ever since 2023 having scored just 366 runs at an average of 20.33 with a highest score of 41 against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
He hasn’t scored a half century in his last 18 innings with his last big knock coming way back on December 26, 2022 when he scored 161 on Day 1 of the first Test against New Zealand in the first Test in Karachi. The former skipper got dismissed after scoring 30 and 5 across two innings in Pakistan’s massive loss in the first Test in Multan by an innings and 47 runs.
The four players have been replaced by Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, Kamran Ghulam (all uncapped), fast bowler Mohammad Ali and off-spinner Sajid Khan. Noman Ali and Zahid Mehmood, who were initially part of the original first Test squad but were subsequently released, have also been included in the 16-player squad.
Aqib Javed, member of the men’s national selection committee, admitted that selecting squad for the remaining two Tests was a challenging task for the selectors. Javed also revealed that decisions were made after considering the current form of the players, the urgency to bounce back in the series and their demanding international schedule.
“Selecting the squad for the upcoming Tests against England has been a challenging task for the selectors. We’ve had to carefully consider current player form, the urgency to bounce back in the series and Pakistan’s demanding 2024-25 international schedule. With these factors in mind and in the best interest of Pakistan cricket as well as the players, we’ve made the decision to rest Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shaheen Shah Afridi,” said Javed in a media release.
He further said that the break from international cricket will help the players regain fitness, confidence and composure and the PCB will continue to support them for a strong comeback.
“We are confident that this break from international cricket will help these players regain their fitness, confidence and composure, ensuring they return in top shape for future challenges. They remain some of our finest talents with much more to contribute to Pakistan cricket. We are fully committed to supporting them during this period so they can come back even stronger,” Javed added.
