Pakistan axes Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah for second and third Tests against England
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has revealed the 16-member squad for the remaining Tests against England, with the most notable change being Babar Azam's exclusion due to his poor form. Additionally, Shaheen Shah Afridi will miss the second Test as well, leaving two key players out of the lineup.
The former Pakistan captain has been in poor form, failing to score a fifty-plus in his last 18 innings. His last significant score was 161 against New Zealand in a drawn Test in December 2022. Since then, his Test average has dropped to 43.92, and he struggled to capitalize on chances managing only 35 runs across both innings in the first Test against England. Babar’s struggles were also evident in Pakistan’s previous series against Bangladesh, where he could only score 0, 22, 31, and 11 across four innings, leading to a 2-0 series loss.
In addition to Babar, pacers Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi are also excluded from the squad due to form and fitness concerns, as PCB looks ahead to future international commitments in the 2024-25 season. Off-spinner Abrar Ahmed and wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed are also omitted.
They have been replaced by uncapped players Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, and Kamran Ghulam, alongside fast bowler Mohammad Ali and off-spinner Sajid Khan. Noman Ali and Zahid Mehmood, initially released from the squad, have also been recalled for the second Test.
Pakistan squad for second and third Test against England: 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.
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