Pakistan drop Babar Azam in major shake-up of squad for rest of England series

Pakistan have dropped star batter Babar Azam as well as strike bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah in a radical shake-up for the remainder of their Test series against England.

After six consecutive defeats under new captain Shan Masood and a winless streak at home that dates back more than two-and-a-half years, a revamped selection panel has reacted decisively to England’s innings victory in the first Test.

Babar, the standard bearer for the country’s cricket in recent years and current world number one in ODIs, leads the omissions for the second and third matches. The 29-year-old last scored a Test century in December 2022 and has a top score of just 41 in 18 subsequent innings.

Just as strikingly, leading seamers Shaheen and Naseem have also been stood down just one game after returning from injury.

First-choice spinner Abrar Ahmed has been ruled out after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed the illness which struck him down in the first Test is a case of dengue fever and reserve wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed has also been released.

It amounts to a drastic overhaul, not least given the brief three-day turnaround between matches in Multan.

The PCB recently appointed five new names to its selection panel, including former ICC umpire Aleem Dar.

Uncapped trio Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz and Kamran Ghulam have been called up, alongside fast bowler Mohammad Ali and off-spinner Sajid Khan. Veteran spinners Noman Ali and Zahid Mehmood, aged 38 and 36 respectively, also return after being part of the original training group for the series.

Selector Aqib Javed said: “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.

“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.”