Babar Azam will be the biggest name to feel the heat of the humiliating innings and 47-run defeat Pakistan suffered by England in the first Test in Multan. As per reports, Babar Azam is set to be dropped from the squad for the second test that will be played from October 15 onwards, also in Multan.
The decision to drop the former Pakistan captain has stunned the cricket world, with insiders revealing that the newly formed national selection committee has made the bold recommendation.
The new selection committee consisting of Aaqib Javed, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, former ICC umpire Aleem Dar, and analyst Hassan Cheema, met for a second time on Saturday in Multan, where this decision was taken.
Babar Azam to be dropped for the second Test
The selection committee, which was formed immediately following Pakistan’s devastating loss to England in the first Test, met twice over the weekend to discuss the team’s future.
Babar Azam’s removal is undeniably shocking, but it indicates a definite shift in policy as Pakistan seeks to restructure its roster to improve its performance in subsequent matches. However, during the first Test, Pakistan captain Shan Masood expressed his strong support for Babar Azam, describing him as the country’s “best batter” and demanding that players be given more time to establish their form.
Jason Gillespie, the red-ball head coach, mirrored Masood’s thoughts. However, the selection panel has a different perspective on the current state of Pakistan cricket and Babar Azam.
According to ESPNCricinfo, the national selection committee believed Babar might benefit from taking a temporary break from the team, given his persistent battle for runs.
The most stunning fact was that neither Masood nor Gillespie attended the key selection meeting in Lahore on Friday (October 11). The selectors then proceeded to Multan on Saturday (October 12) to meet with the captain, coach, and PCB curator Tony Hemming.
Babar hasn’t scored a half-century in Test cricket since December 2022, raising questions about his form. His poor form extended his run without a half-century in Test cricket to 18 innings; just four specialist batters in Pakistan’s history have gone more successive innings without a score in excess of 50. Since the start of 2023, Babar averaged under 21 in nine Tests.
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