PAK vs ENG 2nd Test | Team dynamics shift as Babar Azam, key bowlers dropped from squad for England series

Babar Azam (Pic: AFP)

In a surprise move, former Pakistan skipper Babar Azam was on Sunday dropped for the PAK vs ENG 2nd Test following his poor performance in the longest format of the game in recent times, as per ESPNcricinfo.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) held an emergency meeting after Pakistan's loss to England in the first Test in Multan. The meeting took place on Sunday and the purpose was to discuss the performances and fitness of their players as well as to instruct the authorities to make better pitches for the upcoming games in the future.

"Mohsin Naqvi chaired a special joint meeting of the selection committee and mentors. The meeting of the selection committee and mentors continued for 2 hours. Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi first held a separate meeting with the mentors and then held a joint meeting with the selection committee members and mentors. In the long meeting, the recent performance and fitness of the team was reviewed in detail," a PCB tweet said on Sunday.

"Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi and mentors agreed to complete the process of evaluating the performance of new players by the end of the current series. The meeting also decided to complete the fitness process of the players till the end of the current series," it added.

"Taking into consideration the current form and fitness of key players and looking ahead to Pakistan's future assignments in the 2024-25 international cricket season, the selectors have decided to give rest to Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shaheen Shah Afridi. Abrar Ahmed (who is recovering from dengue fever) was unavailable for selection," PCB said in a statement.

Every time Babar has failed with the bat after that, the scrutiny surrounding his form has grown. On a flat pitch against England, he looked out of form, managing just 35 runs in two innings. His streak of 18 innings without a half-century in Test cricket was extended by this; in Pakistani history, only four specialist batsmen have gone longer stretches without scoring more than 50 runs in an innings. In nine Tests since the beginning of 2023, Babar's average is under 21.

Also Read: PAK vs ENG 2nd Test: Under-pressure Pakistan to re-use Multan pitch for second Test

Earlier in the month, the right-hand batter announced that he will step down as the white-ball captain of the Pakistan cricket team to 'prioritise' his performance.

Men in Green have not won a major tournament during Babar's tenure as captain, which began in 2019. Last year, under his leadership, Pakistan was eliminated from the Asia Cup in the Super 4 stage after a two-wicket defeat by Sri Lanka in Colombo.

A few months later, Pakistan's struggles continued as they failed to reach the knockout stage of the ODI World Cup in India.

Following the conclusion of the World Cup, Babar resigned from the captaincy in all formats. Shaheen Shah Afridi was appointed as the T20I captain but was removed after just one series, in which Pakistan lost 4-1 to New Zealand.

Babar was subsequently reinstated as the white-ball captain, while Shan Masood remained the Test captain.

(With agency inputs)