Babar Azam likely to be dropped in 2nd Test against England: reports

On a flat pitch against England, Babar Azam seemed out of form, managing just 35 runs in two innings Photo credit: Anjum Naveed

Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam is likely to miss the second Test of the series after poor performances in the longest format of the game in recent times, reports say ESPN Cricinfo.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) held an emergency meeting after Pakistan’s loss to England in the first Test in Multan. The meeting was held on Sunday (October 13, 2024) and the purpose of this meeting was to have a discussion on the performances and fitness of their players and to direct the authorities to provide better pitches for the upcoming matches in the future.

“Mohsin Naqvi chaired a special joint meeting of the selection committee and mentors. The meeting of the selection committee and mentors lasted two hours. Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi first held a separate meeting with the mentors and then a joint meeting with the selection committee members and the mentors. “In the long meeting, the current performance and fitness of the team were discussed in detail,” said a PCB tweet on Sunday (October 13, 2024).

“Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi and his mentors have agreed to complete the process of performance evaluation of new players by the end of the current series. It was also decided at the meeting to complete the fitness process of the players by the end of the current series,” it added.

Every time Babar failed with the bat after that, his form came under increasing scrutiny. On a flat pitch against England, he appeared out of form, managing just 35 runs in two innings. His streak of 18 innings without a half-century in Test cricket was thereby extended; In Pakistan’s history, only four specialist batsmen have gone long stretches without scoring more than 50 runs in an innings. In nine Tests since the start of 2023, Babar’s average is below 21.

Earlier this month, the right-hand batsman announced that he was stepping down as white-ball captain of the Pakistan cricket team to “prioritize” his performance.

Men in Green have not won a major tournament during Babar’s tenure as captain, which began in 2019. Last year, under his leadership, Pakistan were eliminated from the Asia Cup in the Super 4 phase after a two-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

A few months later, Pakistan’s problems continued as the country failed to reach the knockout stages of the ODI World Cup in India.

After the end of the World Cup, Babar resigned from captaincy in all formats. Shaheen Shah Afridi was appointed T20I captain but was removed after just one series in which Pakistan lost 1-4 to New Zealand.

Babar was subsequently reinstated as white-ball captain while Shan Masood remained Test captain.