NEW DELHI: Pakistan are set to drop their star batsman Babar Azam for the second Test against England, starting October 15, just two days after their embarrassing innings loss to England in Multan.
According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, the decision was recommended by the newly formed selection committee, which met in Lahore within hours of the loss in the first Test on Friday and again on Saturday in Multan, in a session that included chairman Mohsin Naqvi and the five mentors appointed by the PCB on three-year deals.
Babar’s form has been under scrutiny, with each subsequent failure magnifying the issue.
He appeared particularly out of sorts against England, scoring only 35 runs across two innings on a flat wicket. This extended his run without a half-century in Test cricket to 18 innings, with only four specialist batters in Pakistan’s history going more successive innings without a score in excess of 50.
Since the start of 2023, Babar averages under 21 in nine Tests.
Despite public backing from Pakistan captain Shan Masood and Test coach Jason Gillespie, the selection panel collectively felt that Babar would benefit from time away from the national side as runs remain elusive.
The newly configured selection panel comprises Aaqib Javed, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, former ICC umpire Aleem Dar, analyst Hassan Cheema, and the captain and head coach of the format for which the squad is being selected.
However, it is understood that neither Masood nor Gillespie were part of the selection committee meeting on Friday.
Selectors traveled to Multan on Saturday to meet with the captain, coach, and PCB curator Tony Hemming. At the meeting, some mentors were in favor of keeping Babar in the squad, but the majority opinion was in favor of dropping him.