The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has released the squad for the 2nd and 3rd Test against England, thereby announcing sweeping changes. Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed and Sarfaraz Ahmed have been left out. At the same time, Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Ali, Sajid Khan. Noman Ali and Zahid Mehmood have been called up.
Babar's exclusion has indeed come as a surprise despite the former captain struggling to come out of his rut. The right-handed batter managed only 35 runs in the first Test in Multan despite it being considered as a good batting surface. He has also now gone 18 innings without a half-century.
Shaheen and Naseem had sent down 57 overs in the first Test, collectively conceding 277 runs, but managed only three scalps between them. Abrar, the leggie, was hospitalised midway through the Multan Test due to fever, while Sarfaraz hasn't played a red-ball game for Pakistan since December 2023. Kamran Ghulam looks likely to earn a Test debut, given he averages well over 50 in first-class cricket and could replace Babar at No.4.
Pakistan squad for 2nd and 3rd Test:
Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Haseebullah (wicket-kepeer), Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha and Zahid Mehmood.
Former Pakistan pacer and national selection committee member Aaqib Javed believes the break for the likes of Shaheen and Babar will do them a world of good. He backed them to bounce back strongly and said, as quoted by pcb.co.pk:
"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. 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."