Babar Azam was dropped from Pakistan squad© AFP
Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah were all dropped as Pakistan announced their squad for the second and third Test matches against England. Babar has been in woeful form over the last few months, across formats. He only scored 30 and 5 across the two innings against England in the first Test, despite the pitch being an absolute belter for batters. Hours after Pakistan’s defeat in the Multan Test, the Pakistan Cricket Board constituted a new selection committee, which has decided to exclude Babar from the second Test squad. The selection committee, consisting of Aleem Dar, Aaqib Javed, and Azhar Ali have decided to leave out Babar, Pakistan’s former captain, as well as the pace duo of Shaheen and Naseem. The selection committee reportedly met PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, as well as the five mentors appointed by the PCB on three-year deals, on Saturday, and finalised the squad.
The development comes despite the fact that Pakistan captain Shan Masood had labelled Babar the team’s best batter.
Pakistan name squad for second and third Tests against England#PAKvENG | #TestAtHome pic.twitter.com/EHS9m84TXK
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 13, 2024
“We want to build a squad mentality. We don’t play a lot of Test cricket. Especially as a batter, it is not easy. You have to give a lot of opportunities, and there is no doubt that Babar Azam is Pakistan’s best batter. You always have to keep in mind that your best batter is just one game away. We will reflect and see the conditions that will be on offer. We will try to put the best team on the side,” Masood had said in the post-match press conference after the first Test.
The selectors traveled to Multan on Saturday to meet with the captain Masood and coach Jason Gillespie. They also held a meeting with the PCB curator Tony Hemming after Multan wicket came in the line of fire over its extremely batting-friendly conditions.
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