A day after Pakistan Cricket Board's new selection panel dropped former skipper Babar Azam and three other players from the remaining England Test series, former England player Michael Vaughan expressed his dissatisfaction.
Vaughan while expressing his displeasure, slammed the PCB's new decision and referred to it as 'absolutely stupid decision'.
He took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, "So Pakistan haven’t won in a while .. Go 1 nil down in the series and decide to drop the best player in @babarazam258.. I guess Pakistan cricket is full of surprises but this tops the lot .. absolutely stupid decision .. unless he has asked for a break !!!”
In the first Test against England at Multan, Babar Azam failed to impress in both innings, scoring 30 and 5, respectively.
As per stats, his last 50 plus score in Tests came 18 innings ago, during the Multan Test against New Zealand back in December 2022.
Earlier this month, he also resigned from his position as white-ball captain after being criticised for poor returns with the bat.
After facing a humiliating defeat against England in the first Test by an innings and 47 runs at Multan, the new PCB selection board dropped former Pakistan captain Babar Azam, pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed from the squad for the remaining two test matches.
They were replaced these players with Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, Kamran Ghulam (all uncapped), fast bowler Mohammad Ali and off-spinner Sajid Khan.
Apart from this, the PCB also included Noman Ali and Zahid Mehmood in the 16-player squad for the remaining Tests at Multan and Rawalpindi.
The decision was made by a new selection panel, which included Aleem Dar, Aaqib Javed, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Hasan Cheema, the coach, and the captain.
"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. With these factors in mind and in the best interest of Pakistan cricket as well as the players, we've made the decision to rest Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shaheen Shah Afridi," Cricbuzz quoted ," Aaqib Javed as saying.
"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 said.
"At the same time, we are offering opportunities to uncapped players like Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, and Kamran Ghulam, along with Mohammad Ali, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan and Zahid Mehmood. They now have the chance to showcase their skills against a formidable England side. We believe they will rise to the occasion and make the most of this opportunity in the remaining two Tests," he added.
The second Test between England and Pakistan will be played at Multan Cricket Stadium from 15-19 October.
With agency inputs.
