Ramiz Raja and Babar Azam. Photo-PCB
Ramiz Raja and Babar Azam. Photo-PCB

Former Pakistan cricketer Ramiz Raja has stated that Babar Azam ‘sells’ cricket for Pakistan and that his absence from the team eliminates the genuine excitement surrounding Pakistan cricket.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made significant changes to the squad for the second and third Tests against England following an innings defeat in the first Test in Multan. Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Abrar Ahmed have all been dropped from the team.

Babar Azam managed 30 and 5 in the first Test in Multan and extended his run of innings with no fifty scores to 19 consecutive knocks.

The decision to dismiss the former Pakistan captain has surprised the cricket world, with insiders confirming that the newly established national selection committee made the brave proposal.

The new selection committee, comprised of Aaqib Javed, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, former ICC umpire Aleem Dar, and analyst Hassan Cheema, met for the second time on Saturday in Multan and made this choice.

It should’ve been Babar Azam’s choice: Ramiz Raja

Babar has been in poor form in red-ball cricket since January 2023. He produced a fantastic 161 against New Zealand in Karachi in December 2022 but has not scored another fifty-plus since.

Babar has averaged less than 21 in nine Tests since last year, with no fifties in 18 innings. However, the decision to rest him for the second and third Tests against England did not sit well with Ramiz Raja.

It was Ramiz Raja, under whose PCB chief tenure, Babar Azam was pushed to the moon as the face of Pakistan cricket. Azam was captain of Pakistan’s side from 2019 to 2024 without opposition and chose players of his liking.

Ramiz Raja stated in an interview on Sky Sports, that Babar Azam should’ve been given the choice of whether he wanted to rest or not. He further said that Babar Azam’s face sells cricket in Pakistan and now with him out of the team, sponsors are not happy.

“It should have been Babar’s call whether he wanted time out of the playing XI or not. It was a kneejerk reaction, new selectors in. The general opinion was he needed rest and he was taken out of the squad completely.

We need to understand he sells cricket for Pakistan and there is always this debate happening in Pakistan on whether it’s going to be another failure for Babar Azam or whether he is going to make a comeback and that keeps things interesting. Right now, I don’t see any sellable commodity in this Pakistan team,” Raja said on Sky Sports.

Babar was dropped on Sunday, and Shaheen and Naseem chose to retire from the final two Tests against England. This marks the first time the former has been “rested” from the red-ball team in his 54-Test career.

According to PTI, Shaheen and Naseem withdrew from the series on Sunday morning, claiming niggles.

Also Read: Babar Azam vs Virat Kohli Comparisons Are Baseless: Brad Hogg