Babar Azam’s exclusion from Pakistan’s squad for the second and third Tests against England has sparked significant controversy and debate within the cricketing community.
The decision, announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on October 13, has drawn criticism from former players and fans alike, particularly given Babar’s status as one of the country’s premier batsmen.
Why Babar Azam was dropped from the Pakistan squad?
The PCB stated that Babar Azam, alongside other notable players like Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, was “rested” based on considerations of “current form.”
This announcement came in the wake of Pakistan’s disappointing performance in the first Test in Multan, where they suffered an innings defeat despite scoring over 500 runs in their first innings.
Babar’s performance was underwhelming; he managed scores of just 30 and 5, extending his streak without a half-century to 18 innings across all formats.
“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. Abrar Ahmed was unavailable for selection,” PCB said in a release.
“The four players have been replaced by Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, Kamran Ghulam (all uncapped), fast bowler Mohammad Ali and off-spinner Sajid Khan.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,” it added.
Criticism from Former Players
Former Pakistan women’s team captain Javeria Khan was particularly vocal in her criticism of the PCB’s decision.
She took to social media to express her disappointment, labeling the move as disrespectful to Babar’s legacy and questioning the timing of such a decision during a crucial series.
Javeria emphasized that resting key players should be planned at the start of a series rather than mid-way through it, arguing that it undermines team morale and respect for established players.
Fakhar Zaman compared Babar’s situation to that of Virat Kohli during his lean patches, noting that India never dropped Kohli despite his struggles.
Fakhar argued that sidelining a player of Babar’s caliber could send a negative message throughout the team.
Pakistan squad for 2nd and 3rd Test
Shan Masood (c). Saud Shakeel (vc). Aamir Jamal. Abdullah Shafique. Haseebullah (wk). Kamran Ghulam. Mehran Mumtaz. Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali. Mohammad Huraira. Mohammad Rizwan (wk). Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha. Zahid Mehmood.
