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Pakistan’s white-ball batting mainstay, Fakhar Zaman, has defended star batter Babar Azam, who was dropped from the squad for the upcoming two Test matches against England.
Earlier today, the newly appointed selection committee announced the squad for the upcoming second and third Test matches, which will be played in Multan and Rawalpindi on 15 and 24 October, respectively.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) revealed the squad through a press release on their official website.
“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,” the statement said.
“The four players have been replaced by Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, Kamran Ghulam (all uncapped), fast bowler Mohammad Ali and off-spinner Sajid Khan.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 original first Test squad but were subsequently released, have also been included in the 16-player squad.”
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Fakhar Zaman took to his official X (formerly Twitter) account and expressed his disappointment over the suggestions to drop Babar. He cited the example of how India treated Virat Kohli during his rough phase from 2020 to 2023.
“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,” Fakhar posted.
The left-handed batter praised Babar, calling him the best Pakistani batter of all time, while highlighting the need to make calculated moves rather than ‘pressing the panic button.’
“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,” he added.
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