Babar Azam to be dropped for the second Test against England after a prolonged run of poor form with the bat.
Babar Azam is all set to be dropped from the Pakistan side ahead of the second test against England in Multan.
Pakistan is in crisis mode, set to make a raft of changes to the side. Babar’s exclusion comes as the first recommendation made by the new selection committee.
In the two meetings between the committee and PCB chair Mohsin Naqvi, the topic of excluding Babar came forth.
Pakistan skipper Shan Masood and coach Jason Gillespie were in favor of giving under-duress Babar a longer run. Shan even went on to call him “Pakistan’s best batsman”. However, the committee was of the opinion that Babar’s benefit would lie in time away from the game.
On Saturday, selectors went to Multan to meet with the PCB curator, as well as the captain and coach. Some of the mentors felt retaining Babar in the team during the Saturday discussion. However, the majority thought his ouster is the beneficial choice.
Babar has been out of form for the better part of two years. It is unclear at this point if he will be available to participate in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, which gets underway on October 20. Since 2019, Babar has not participated in any matches in that first-class cricket league.
Babar has been subject to scrutiny with every passing run of poor scores. It is worth noting that he has not had a test half-century since 2022.
The omission of Babar has sent shockwaves in the country. Despite his recent setbacks, he is still by far the most well-known player in Pakistani cricket. He has amassed a sizable, devoted personal fan base apart from the Pakistan squad as a whole.
On October 15, in Multan, the second Test against England gets underway. Pakistan suffered their sixth straight Test loss as England defeated them by an innings and 47 runs in the opening match. This result drops them to the bottom of the World Test Championship standings.