Pakistan's Babar Azam. Photo: AFP file
Babar Azam, currently struggling with his batting form, was excluded from the squad on Sunday as Pakistan made significant changes to their team for the second Test against England. This decision comes after their crushing innings and 47-run loss in the first Test.
"We have decided to give Babar Azam and a few other players a rest," stated selector Aaqib Javed in a release by the Pakistan Cricket Board. The announcement followed the naming of a 16-player squad, including three uncapped players, for the match starting in Multan on Tuesday. Azam has not reached a half-century in his last 18 Test innings and only managed scores of 30 and five in the first Test, which England won by an innings and 47 runs after declaring at 823-7.
In addition to Azam, the pace duo of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah were also dropped, while spinner Abrar Ahmed was omitted due to illness. Abrar was hospitalized with a high fever, forcing him to miss the final two days of the first Test. Javed expressed hope that the break would help Azam regain his form.
"We are confident that this break from international cricket will aid these players, particularly Azam, in regaining their confidence," Javed said. "They are still among our best talents and have much more to offer to Pakistan cricket."
Kamran Ghulam, 29, is expected to replace Azam at number four in the batting order. Two other potential debutants, wicketkeeper-batsman Haseebullah and left-arm spinner Mehran Mumtaz, were also called up. Fast bowler Mohammad Ali and off-spinner Sajid Khan were included in the squad.
Since his Test debut against the West Indies in Dubai in 2016, Azam has only missed five Tests, two in his first series, one against England in 2018, and two in New Zealand in 2020. The decision to drop Azam, Shaheen, and Naseem came just two days after the PCB reconstituted their selection panel, bringing in former pace bowler Javed and Azhar Ali, alongside incumbent Asad Shafiq. The PCB also included former elite panel umpire Aleem Dar in a rare move.
Following Pakistan's defeat, captain Shan Masood and head coach Jason Gillespie supported Azam, stating that he simply needed time to regain his form. Once the International Cricket Council's top-ranked batsman across all formats, Azam is currently number one in the one-day international rankings. However, his form has significantly declined since the start of 2023, averaging under 21 in his last nine Tests.
Pakistan squad: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel, Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Agha, Zahid Mehmood.
