The new Pakistan selection committee made a shocking decision after the poor defeat suffered by the team in the first Test in Multan, stating that Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Naseem Shah are not considered for the second and third Tests, and consequently, to justify their decision, the board said they were resting the players due to their current form.
Babar Azam, Rested Or Dropped? PCB’s Bold Decision
After the disheartening defeat suffered by Pakistan at the hands of England, Babar was left out of the side for the second and third Tests, and to justify the Pakistan Cricket Board came up with his “current form” as a reason for resting him. The PCB themselves claim that Babar, Shaheen, and Naseem have been rested for the series, although reports surfacing earlier suggested that they had been left out because of not contributing enough.
Aaqib Javed Defends PCB’s Decision
“Selecting the squad for the upcoming Tests against England has been a challenging task for the selectors. We’ve had to carefully consider current player form, the urgency to bounce back in the series and Pakistan’s demanding 2024-25 international schedule. With these factors in mind and in the best interest of Pakistan cricket as well as the players, we’ve made the decision to rest Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shaheen Shah Afridi,” Cricbuzz quoted ,” Aaqib Javed as he mentioned about PCB’s bold decision
“We are confident that this break from international cricket will help these players regain their fitness, confidence and composure, ensuring they return in top shape for future challenges. They remain some of our finest talents with much more to contribute to Pakistan cricket. We are fully committed to supporting them during this period so they can come back even stronger,” he said.
Fans and retired cricketers alike have been talking a lot about the reasoning behind this move, as Babar has been woefully unable to get going in all formats, especially in Tests, where he hadn’t scored a half-century in his last 18 innings. His latest dismissal against England did not go unnoticed as bowlers successfully targeted both his inside and outside edges on a dead flat pitch of Multan.
What Was Fakhar Zaman’s Controversial Tweet ?
Fakhar Zaman was one of the most vocal voices among the Pakistani players who felt the compulsion to condemn the decision to send Babar on a break and rest him. He took to social media to make a comparison between this and how India treated Virat Kohli when the latter failed to score from 2020 to 2022. Though Kohli averages less than 30 over three years, he did not ever get out of the Indian XI. According to Fakhar Zaman it is extremely worrying that Babar Azam is made to sit out.
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…
— Fakhar Zaman (@FakharZamanLive) October 13, 2024
“India didn’t bench Virat Kohli during his rough stretch between 2020 and 2023 (2022), 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 expressed his fury against the Pakistan’s management and compared it with Virat Kohli’s situation when he was going through slump form.
Also Read: ‘India Didn’t Bench Virat Kohli When…’: Fakhar Zaman Slams PCB After Babar Azam’s Exclusion
Zaman Criticised After Comparisons With Virat Kohli
Fans and cricket pundits were extremely furious after Fakhar Zaman compared Babar Azam’s situation with Virat Kohli.
Check out all about this here: ‘Kohli’s Legacy Is Better Than The Entire Pakistan’: Fakhar Zaman Faces Backlash For Comparing Virat Kohli With Babar Azam
In Tests, the star player of India Virat Kohli has scored 8947 runs in 115 matches, this includes 29 centuries and 30 half centuries. While, Babar Azam has scored 3997 runs in 55 matches, this includes 9 centuries and 26 half centuries.
Brad Hogg Dismissed ‘Baseless’ Comparison With Virat Kohli
Brad Hogg, former Australian cricketer reacted sharply against comparisons between Babar Azam’s recent struggles and Virat Kohli’s difficulties in 2021 and 2022. Babar, hasn’t scored a half-century in his last 18 Test innings and he has been left out of Pakistan’s squad for the matches against England. Since the start of 2023, he has averaged just below 21 in nine Test matches. He was well short of the desired level in the first Test against England, with scores of 30 and 5 on a dead Multan wicket.
Comparing bad form between Babar Azam & Kohli after rumours the Pakistan legend will be dropped for the 2nd test v England is baseless.
— Brad Hogg (@Brad_Hogg) October 14, 2024
India: 2nd best win % during Kohli's draught.
Pakistan: 2nd worst win % through Babar's.
Hard decisions need to be made!#ENGvsPAK #IINDvAUS
“Comparing bad form between Babar Azam & Kohli after rumours the Pakistan legend will be dropped for the 2nd test v England is baseless. India: 2nd best win % during Kohli’s draught. Pakistan: 2nd worst win % through Babar’s. Hard decisions need to be made!” Hogg wrote on X
Also Read: Ex-Australia Star Dismisses Fakhar Zaman’s Virat Kohli Comparison After Babar Azam Gets Dropped
PCB Takes Action Against Fakhar Zaman
The PCB retaliated against the tweet of Fakhar Zaman, reportedly issuing a show cause notice to him for breaching the code of conduct as part of the left-handed batter on a central contract. Fakhar has till October 21 to respond to the show cause notice which alleged him to have breached his contract by criticizing board policies and selection decisions.
Also Read: Babar Azam Dropped: Fakhar Zaman Under Scrutiny After Controversial Tweet Against PCB
Michael Vaughan Slams PCB
Michael Vaughan brutally thrashed Pakistan’s decision, he went on to express his displeasure and called Babar Azam the “Best Player” and the decision to drop him absolutely wrong.
“So Pakistan haven’t won in a while .. Go 1 nil down in the series and decide to drop the best player in @babarazam258.. I guess Pakistan cricket is full of surprises but this tops the lot .. absolutely stupid decision .. unless he has asked for a break !!!”
So Pakistan haven’t won in a while .. Go 1 nil down in the series and decide to drop the best player in @babarazam258 .. I guess Pakistan cricket is full of surprises but this tops the lot .. absolutely stupid decision .. unless he has asked for a break !!!
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) October 13, 2024
Nasser Hussain Blamed PCB For Team’s Failure
Nasser Hussain, the former captain of England condemned the decision of Pakistan Cricket Board to drop Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Naseem Shah from the second Test, criticizing “mismanagement” that is affecting the country’s national men’s team.
“A little bit of forward planning and forward thinking. I think that’s what’s lacking in Pakistan Cricket. Even like with the venues. Coming here we didn’t know where England were gonna play. Still, here we sit here. Now we don’t really know where. The third Test, we don’t know which pitch they’re gonna play on tomorrow for the second Test. And that comes from behind the scenes and the changes that happen. I think you said in the paper today. It was 26 different selectors. I read 27. The other different paper. 27. You can’t keep counting him out. So how many? How many have England had? Two or three basically 27-26 different selectors. Chairman of selectors. You know everything coaches, captain,” Nasser Hussain said while speaking to Michael Atherton on Sky Sports.
Also Read: Babar Azam Dropped: Nasser Hussain Blames PCB Management For Team Struggles
Defending Babar, who had been a mainstay of the Pakistan batting order, Hussain refused to tag Babar, Naseem, or Shaheen with blame for Pakistan’s failure, and pointed out structural issues of the PCB.
