Pakistan cricket is at the centre of attention as one of its most prominent talents, Babar Azam, is celebrating his 30th birthday today while still out of the playing XI for the second Test against England in Multan. After a humiliating innings loss in the first Test, the PCB has taken a very bold decision to exclude Babar along with Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah from the 2nd Test against England.
There has been a lot of criticism about Babar’s recent performance; he scored only 35 runs in the first Test and has not made a fifty in the last 18 Test matches. This poor show has drawn flak and abuse from the online community, even though he was once rated as one of the top five Test batsmen by the ICC. This has triggered a debate among the fans and cricket experts as to why the PCB has left him out of the team. He is even being trolled by online cricket community for missing the match on his birthday.
Assistant coach Azhar Mahmood supported the decision, saying that Babar and others have been'rested’ not ‘dropped’ as Pakistan has a lot of matches lined up. “Babar Azam is our number one player as far as technique and ability are concerned.” Mahmood stressed this by adding that the management wants players to remain fit for the upcoming series against Australia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. But this logic has not soothed critics among supporters and analysts, who wonder whether it is sensible to keep stars on the bench when playing against a powerful England team on home soil.
Kamran Ghulam has been included in the team in place of Babar Azam in the No. 4 batting order, who is playing his first match. The hosts have gone for a spin barrage with three specialist spinners, Noman Ali, Zahid Mahmood, and Sajid Khan, in an attempt to make a comeback to the series after they were hammered in the first Test match.
While Pakistan prepares for this all-important match, the consequences of removing their big guns could either inspire the team or add more layers to their problem against England. With tensions high and expectations mounting, all eyes will be on Multan as cricket fans await the outcome of this pivotal Test series.
