Former England cricketer, Michael Vaughan has heavily criticized the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision to drop Babar Azam from the Test squad.
Pakistan’s new selection committee has decided to drop star batsman Babar Azam for the remaining two Tests against England. This decision has drawn sharp criticism from the former England captain, who described it as an “absolutely stupid decision.”
Despite his recent slump in form, Vaughan believes that Babar remains Pakistan’s best batsman. Expressing his disbelief on social media platform X, Michael Vaughan wrote,
So Pakistan haven’t won in a while .. Go 1 nil down in the series and decide to drop the best player in Babar Azam.. I guess Pakistan cricket is full of surprises but this tops the lot .. absolutely stupid decision .. unless he has asked for a break.
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 !!!
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) October 13, 2024
The decision to exclude Babar, despite opposition from captain Shan Masood and head coach Jason Gillespie, was reportedly made to give him time away from cricket to regain his form. Babar has struggled recently, failing to score a fifty in his last nine Test matches, and his overall performance over the past three years has been concerning. In the opening Test against England, Babar managed scores of just 30 and 5, contributing to Pakistan’s defeat by an innings and 47 runs, despite the team posting a formidable 556 in their first innings.
In addition to Babar, fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah have also been dropped, a decision seen by many as a panic move by the selectors. Pakistan’s Test team has been under pressure, having not won a home Test since their victory against South Africa in 2021. Since then, they have suffered defeats against England, Australia, and Bangladesh. England, having previously whitewashed Pakistan 3-0, has once again taken the lead in the current series.
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