Pakistan's Test team management, under the leadership of captain Shan Masood and head coach Jason Gillespie, made the decision to exclude Babar Azam from the remaining matches of the series against England. Babar Azam, the former captain, has been facing significant challenges in red-ball cricket, with his last half-century in this format dating back to December 2022. The team has recently suffered defeats in both the away tour against Australia and the home series against Bangladesh.
The pressure on the team intensified after a loss in the first Test against England in Multan, despite posting a formidable score of 556 in the first innings. While some changes were anticipated, the unexpected decision to drop star batter Babar Azam caught many, including Fakhar Zaman, off guard. Zaman criticized the team management, pointing out that even India's Virat Kohli faced a period of struggle in finding form for three years, yet he was never dropped by the team management.
He believes that dropping Babar would have a negative impact on the team and has called for the protection of their star players, rather than throwing them under the bus.
“It’s concerning to hear suggestions about dropping Babar Azam. India didn’t bench Virat Kohli during his rough stretch between 2020 and 2023, when he averaged 19.33, 28.21, and 26.50, respectively. If we are considering sidelining our premier batsman, arguably the best Pakistan has ever produced, it could send a deeply negative message across the team. There is still time to avoid pressing the panic button; we should focus on safeguarding our key players rather than undermining them,” Fakhar tweeted.
In addition to Babar Azam, the team management has decided to rest Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah from the Test squad. Both pacers conceded over 100 runs in the previous game, raising concerns about their current form. The team management has also instructed the curators to prepare a spin-friendly track for the upcoming second Test match. This decision may have influenced the choice to exclude the pace duo from the squad.
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