Pakistan vs England second Test: Babar, Shaheen, Naseem dropped from squad

Babar and some starring pacers are being ‘rested connected the ground of existent signifier and fitness’, Pakistan Cricket Board says.

Pakistan’s erstwhile cricket skipper and starring batter Babar Azam has been excluded from the hosts’ Test squad aft a mediocre tally of signifier and volition not beryllium considered for the 2nd and 3rd Test matches against England.

Babar, who was Pakistan’s all-format skipper until November, volition beryllium joined connected the sidelines by starring gait bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said successful a connection connected Sunday.

“We person made the determination to remainder Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shaheen Shah Afridi [from the Test squad]”, selector Aqib Javed said portion announcing the squad.

Javed, a erstwhile Pakistan accelerated bowler himself, said the telephone to driblet the prima players was taken connected the ground of “current signifier and fitness”, arsenic good arsenic successful information of Pakistan’s upcoming cricket tours.

Leg-spin bowler Abrar Ahmed, who is recovering from dengue fever and missed portion of the archetypal Test, was declared unavailable for selection.

Uncapped players Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, and Kamran Ghulam person been included successful the 16-man squad for the 2nd Multan Test.

Fast bowler Mohammad Ali and off-spinner Sajid Khan are besides portion of the squad.

It’s Babar’s exclusion that comes arsenic the biggest daze to Pakistan cricket followers, arsenic the past clip helium was near retired of the Pakistan Test squad was successful December 2020.

Babar has been struggling with his batting signifier of precocious and has not scored a Test 50 successful his past 18 innings. His highest Test people successful 2024 was 31, successful the 2nd Test against Bangladesh successful September.

The selectors said the determination could assistance the players remainder and rejuvenate.

“We are assured that this interruption from planetary cricket volition assistance these players, particularly Babar Azam, regain their confidence,” helium said.

“They stay immoderate of our finest talents with overmuch much to lend to Pakistan cricket.”

Since making his Test debut against the West Indies successful Dubai successful 2016, Babar has missed lone 5 Tests, 2 successful his archetypal series, 1 against England astatine Leeds successful 2018 and 2 successful New Zealand successful 2020.

After Pakistan’s defeat, skipper Shan Masood and caput manager Jason Gillespie backed Babar, saying helium conscionable needed clip to regain his form.

The right-handed batter was erstwhile the International Cricket Council’s top-ranked batsman successful each 3 formats and is inactive fig 1 successful the one-day planetary rankings.

Since the commencement of 2023 his signifier has nosedived. He averaged nether 21 successful his past 9 Tests, scoring conscionable 126 successful six innings successful Australia and 64 successful the 2 location Tests against Bangladesh past month.

The axe fell connected Babar, Shaheen and Naseem 2 days aft the PCB reconstituted their enactment sheet bringing successful erstwhile gait bowler Javed and Azhar Ali on with the incumbent Asad Shafiq.

In a uncommon determination the PCB besides included erstwhile elite sheet umpire Aleem Dar.

The 2nd Test volition statesman successful Multan connected Tuesday, portion the last lucifer of the bid volition played successful Rawalpindi from October 24.

Squad (for 2nd and 3rd Tests): Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel, Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Haseebullah (wicketkeeper), Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha and Zahid Mehmood.

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