Pakistani batter Fakhar Zaman expressed disappointment that former captain Babar Azam had been left out of the Test side for the last two Tests against England. The news came after Babar failed to muster a single Test half-century since December last year. However, Fakhar targeted the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for not supporting the elderly player as they quoted India's example of not dropping Virat Kohli during his lean period.
In the first Test against England, Babar scored 30 and 5 respectively, on a flat Multan pitch where England's Harry Brook (317) and Joe Root (262) created history for the side. The Pakistan team released Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Sarfaraz Ahmed from the squad ahead of the start of the second Test on the same pitch from Tuesday.
"It is disturbing to hear suggestions about benching Babar Azam. India never benched Virat Kohli when he was batting miserably between 2020 and 2023, averaging 19.33, 28.21 and 26.50, respectively. If we are thinking of benching our premium batsman, arguably the best produced for Pakistan, that will send a very bad message across the dressing room. Time still remains to not press the panic button; rather, we should work on protecting the key players, not undermining them," Fakhar posted on X.
Changes to the Pakistan squad have been announced by a newly-formed selection committee that convened hours after the hosts suffered an embarrassing loss by an innings and 47 runs to England in the first Test at Multan. Pakistan are 0-1 behind in the three-match Test series against England and are also at the bottom of the ongoing World Test Championship standings.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has put out a statement that said, "Considering their current condition and fitness and with regard to Pakistan's commitments in the international cricket season of 2024-25, the selectors have taken the decision to give Babar, Shaheen, Naseem and Sarfaraz a break.".
We are sure that this India tour will help these players to regain their fitness, confidence, and composure and they'll be ready with a lot more energy to tackle future challenges.
"They are some of our prime talents and have much more to contribute to Pakistan cricket. We are fully committed to supporting them during this period so they can come back even stronger," said new selection committee member Aqib Javed in a statement.
Pakistan team for the last two Tests: Shan Masood (Captain), Saud Shakeel, vice-captain, Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (Wicket- Keeper), Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha and Zahid Mehmood.
Read also| Pat Cummins Says Test Cricket is His Top Priority, Speaks on IPL Future
