Ahead of the second Test against England, Pakistan have dropped former captain Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Sarfaraz Ahmed from the squad for the remaining two matches in the series.
Additionally, spinner Abrar Ahmed has also been ruled out after being diagnosed with dengue.
Addressing the move, Aaqib Javed from the selection panel 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.
“We are confident that this break from international cricket will help these players regain their fitness, confidence and composure, ensuring they return in top shape for future challenges. They remain some of our finest talents with much more to contribute to Pakistan cricket. We are fully committed to supporting them during this period so they can come back even stronger,” he added.
As replacement for the players being dropped, Pakistan have added three uncapped players – Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz and Kamran Ghulam – as well as fast bowler Mohammad Ali and off-spinner Sajid Khan.
Pakistan have been under the pump after having been whitewashed 2-0 in a home series by Bangladesh followed by a defeat in the first Test by England that saw the hosts lose the plot despite scoring 556 in the first innings.
Babar Azam, who recently resigned from his position as white-ball captain, has been criticized for poor returns with the bat.
The 29-year-old’s last 50 plus score in Tests came 18 innings ago, during the Multan Test against New Zealand back in December 2022.
Also on the receiving end of the criticism have been Pakistan’s pacers. Since 2022, they have only claimed more Test wickets than pacers from Ireland, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan among all Test playing nations.
Pakistan and England next face off in Multan starting October 15 for the second Test.