PAK vs ENG | Pakistan Drops Babar, Shaheen, Naseem from Test Squad Over “Form” Concerns!
The PCB has made a rather unconventional move as Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Naseem Shah have been dropped from the second and third Test matches against England. As the team aims to level the series, the absence of key players has left many fans shocked.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) declared a new 16 member squad for the 2nd and 3rd Test against England on Sunday. However, some remarkable players were unexpectedly dropped. Although former skipper Babar Azam’s exclusion reports were on the cards, the big shock came when pacer Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah were also dropped from the squad.
Pakistan’s Embarrassing Defeat vs England
Pakistan’s first loss in the Test match was rather embarrassing for them as they became the first team to lose a match despite scoring more than 500 runs in the first innings. In a statement, the chairman of the national selection committee Aqib Javed stated that Babar, Shaheen, Naseem, and wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed have been rested. However, he also clarified that the PCB also considered the “current form” while making the final squad.
Babar Azam’s last half-century in Test cricket came in December 2022 when Pakistan played a series at their home against New Zealand. Since then he has looked out of form and has a top score of just 41 in the last nine test matches. Pakistan’s appalling 0-2 home series loss to Bangladesh last month also saw Babar under-performing with the scores of just 0, 22, 31, 11.
Who Are the New Squad Members?
Pakistan has included three new faces Kamran Ghulam, Haseebullah, and Mehran Mumtaz besides spinners Sajid Khan and Noman Ali for Tests. Since Abrar Ahmed had been bedridden due to a bout of sickness that occurred during the first Test in Karachi, the team had to look for more spin bowling depth.
Veteran wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed has been replaced by Haseebullah in the squad. The second test will commence in Multan on October 15, while the third test will begin in Rawalpindi on October 24.
Pakistan’s 16-member squad for the next two tests against England: Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel (vc), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Haseebullah (wj), Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wj), Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Zahid Mehmood.
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