Former England skipper Michael Vaughan (proper) and Babar Azam. —Reuters/ AFP/ FileÂ
Former England skipper Michael Vaughan has slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for axing star batsman Babar Azam from the squad for the second and third Check matches towards England, saying it was an “absolutely stupid decision”.
In a publish on X, Vaughan termed it a stupidity to drop a group’s finest participant after shedding one match of the collection.
“So Pakistan haven’t won in a while .. Go 1 nil down in the series and decide to drop the best player in Babar Azam I guess Pakistan cricket is full of surprises but this tops the lot .. absolutely stupid decision .. unless he has asked for a break!!!”
The out of shape batsman will miss the matches in Multan and Rawalpindi after Friday’s loss handed Pakistan their sixth consecutive check defeat and left them on the backside of the World Check Championship standings.
The previous Inexperienced Shirts captain struggled within the first Check towards England, managing simply 35 runs throughout each innings. He stepped down as captain in all codecs after Pakistan’s elimination from the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Nevertheless, 4 months later, he was re-appointed because the Twenty20 Internationals and ODI captain however his second stint additionally proved abortive, main him to resign as soon as once more.
The newly shaped choice committee has additionally rested frontline tempo duo of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah for the Exams. Afridi, 24, a former captain within the T20I format has struggled to regain his type from earlier than his knee harm.
Pakistan captain Shan Masood voiced his assist for Babar within the wake of the defeat, labelling him as “Pakistan’s best batter” and known as for gamers to be given extra time.
Pakistan batsman Fakhar Zaman additionally confirmed assist for Babar minutes earlier than the squad was introduced on Sunday.
“It’s concerning to hear suggestions about dropping Babar Azam. India didn’t bench Virat Kohli during his rough stretch between 2020 and 2023, when he averaged 19.33, 28.21, and 26.50, respectively,” Zaman wrote in a publish on X.
“If we are considering sidelining our premier batsman, arguably the best Pakistan has ever produced, it could send a deeply negative message across the team. There is still time to avoid pressing the panic button; we should focus on safeguarding our key players rather than undermining them.”
Aqib Javed, a Pakistan selector, stated the choice committee needed to rigorously take into account present participant type, the urgency to bounce again within the collection and Pakistan’s demanding 2024-25 worldwide schedule.
The PCB spokesman stated that deciding on the squad for the upcoming Exams towards England had been an uphill process for the selectors.
Uncapped gamers Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, and Kamran Ghulam, have been known as up. The spokesman stated that the board was providing alternatives to younger gamers and home performers to showcase their expertise towards a formidable England aspect.
The second Check towards England begins on Tuesday in Multan.
Pakistan squad:
Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Haseebullah (wicket-keeper), 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.
