Babar Azam has been under fire following Pakistan's Test series loss to England at home. Pakistan were anticipated to dominate the proceedings against the Three Lions because they were playing at home. However, the reverse occurred, as the visiting team dominated the terms, winning the three-match Test series 3-0.
At no point did Pakistan appear to have a home advantage, as England outclassed the Babar Azam-led team on every front. Following the series loss, Shaheen Afridi offered his support behind Babar and sent a tweet in his support. Due to a knee injury, the left-arm pacer has been out of play since the 2022 T20 World Cup final.
"Babar Azam hamari or Pakistan ki Shan, jaan or pehchan hai. Wo Hamara kaptaan hai or rahe ga. Kuch or #sochnabhimanah hai. Please support this team. Yahi team hame jitaye gi bhi. Kahani abhi Khatam nahi howi. #Respect," Shaheen wrote on Twitter.
Surprisingly, he removed the tweet barely a day after Shahid Afridi was appointed as the Pakistan cricket team chief selector. Babar is scheduled to lead Pakistan in their home series against New Zealand, and Shaheen's decision to remove the post startled many.
In November 2020, Babar was selected Pakistan's Test captain. Under his leadership, Pakistan had 8 victories and 6 losses. Losses in the home series versus England would have been the most damaging.
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The whitewash against the Ben Stokes-led team also harmed Pakistan's prospects of reaching the World Test Championship final, as they are now all but out of contention.
Pakistan will play two Tests against New Zealand. The series opener will take place in Karachi from December 26 to December 30. The series' second Test match will be contested at the same venue from January 2 to 6. Both sides will also play three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) during this leg of the series.
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