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 …