Star batter Babar Azam has been dropped from the Pakistan Test squad for the second and third games of the series against England. Along with Babar, fast bowlers Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi have also been left out of the ongoing Test series.
The Pakistan cricket team’s poor form, along with Babar Azam’s struggles, has raised concerns for the management. Once regarded as a cricket superstar in Pakistan, Babar is currently going through a difficult phase in his career.
Babar Azam Performance in last 2 years
Looking at Babar Azam’s recent performances in Test cricket, his form has been alarming. He hasn’t scored a century in his last 18 Test innings. His last century came against New Zealand in 2022, where he made 161 runs at the National Stadium in Karachi. Even more concerning is that Babar hasn’t scored a fifty since 2022. His highest score in these 18 innings has been just 41 runs.
In the most recent Test match against England, Babar’s performance was underwhelming. While he got off to a decent start of 30 runs in the first innings at the Multan Cricket Stadium, he couldn’t turn it into a big score. In the second innings, Babar managed only five runs before being dismissed by Atkinson.
Pakistan’s performance in the third league of the ICC Test Championship has also been disappointing. The team has played eight matches, losing six and winning only two. As a result, Pakistan currently sits at the bottom of the ICC Test Championship standings (2023-2025), below teams like Bangladesh and the West Indies.
Babar’s rough patch and Pakistan’s overall poor form have created a lot of pressure on the management and the team. Many believe that Babar’s exclusion is a move to reshuffle the team and give other players an opportunity, hoping to find better results in the remaining matches of the series.
While Babar Azam’s struggles are clear, it remains to be seen whether this decision will help him regain his form or whether Pakistan’s cricketing woes will continue. The cricketing world will be watching closely to see how both Babar and the team respond in the upcoming matches.
Babar Azam as captain
Babar has played 35 innings of 20 matches as captain in which he has got 1727 runs with 196 runs being his highest score. Under Babar Azam’s captaincy, Pakistan has won 10 matches, lost six and four went to draw.
