Pakistan’s national selectors took a hard decision before the start of the second Test of the three-match series against visiting England by dropping their best batter, Babar Azam, who has been going through a very rough time with the bat, along with two of premier pacers in the form of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah.
In the ongoing year, Babar Azam has been part of four Test matches, two of which came against Bangladesh at home. The former captain of the side has collected 148 runs in eight innings at an average of 18.50 with a best score of 31. The year before that, he fetched 204 runs in five games at an average of 23 with a best score of 41.
At the start of the struggling period, the issue seemed to be a little bit technical before it grew on his mindset. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decided to give the veteran a break to freshen up. He is expected to be part of the white-ball squad of the Green Brigade in Australia.
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Kamran Ghulam replaced Babar Azam at the number four position in the batting order in Multan against the Ben Stokes-led side and celebrated his maiden Test century, which for now has shut down the chances of the experienced batter getting back in the Test side for the final Test in Rawalpindi.
The Green Brigade will take a trip to South Africa for a two-match Test series towards the end of the year, and the question stands if the selectors would bring the 30-year-old for that series.
Mohammad Amir supports Babar Azam amidst Pakistan’s victory after 11 Tests in home
When Babar was dropped from the national side, it sparked a debate among the fans and the former players of the side, who took different ends of the discussion. Few thought it was the right decision and was needed to take place at some point in time, while others were stunned by the development.
When the home side went on to win the second Test match to end their winless streak of 11 games at home and registered their first red-ball victory under the leadership of their newly appointed captain Shan Masood, many fans called that the team had done well in the absence of Babar Azam.
But the left-arm pacer of the Pakistan side, Mohammad Amir, has stood in favor of the veteran batter and has urged the fans of the country not to get personal with any of these players in the future.
“Yar pls yeah ghatia soch khatam karo k babar team me ni tha ya woh player ni tha to team jeet gayi. Hum better planning k sath, while home advantage liya or jeet gaye. pls personal na hn apne player’s k sath yes performance base ap bat Karen but pls personal na hn.” The veteran pacer highlighted in a post that he shared on his ‘X’ handle (formerly known as Twitter).
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When it comes to his record in the 50-over format of the game, Babar Azam has notched up 5729 runs in 117 games at an average of over 56 and a strike rate of nearly 90, with the help of 19 centuries and 32 half-centuries and a best score of 158.
He hasn’t cracked the longest format though, in the same style with 3997 runs in 55 games at an average of under 44, with just nine centuries and 26 fifties. But if he turns up for the South Africa series, he will aim to cement his position in the Test team.