Pakistan drop Babar Azam, 2 other key players ahead of remaining 2 Tests against England
PTC News Desk: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has rested ace batsman Babar Azam for the last two Tests against England on Sunday, October 13. Along with him, fast bowlers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, and wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed have been dropped.
Wrist spinner Abrar Ahmed has also been dropped since he is recovering from dengue sickness.
The four players have been replaced by Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, Kamran Ghulam (all uncapped), fast bowler Mohammad Ali, and off-spinner Sajid Khan. Noman Ali and Zahid Mehmood, who were initially part of the first Test team but were later discharged, have also been included in the 16-player squad.
Aqib Javed, a member of the men's national selection committee, stated, “Selecting the squad for the upcoming Tests against England has been a challenging task for the selectors. 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."
Pakistan Squad (for 2nd and 3rd Tests): Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Haseebullah (wicket-keeperer), Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha and Zahid Mehmood.
- PTC NEWS
