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New Delhi, India
On Day 1 of the second Test between Pakistan and England, Shan Masood-led ended proceedings at 259 for 5 after opting to bat first in Multan. The hosts are under pressure after losing the first Test, also held in Multan, by an innings despite posting 556. Following the series opener, the PCB announced that Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah are being rested for the remainder of the Test series. This led to widespread reactions from all corners and former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja also spoke at length on Babar's omission during the opening day's play of the second and penultimate tie on Tuesday (Oct 15).
Ramiz, while speaking to Mike Atherton and Nasser Hussain on the sidelines of the second Test, said, "It should have been Babar’s call (to be given rest) whether he wanted time out of the playing XI or not. It was a kneejerk reaction, new selectors in. The general opinion was he needed rest and he was taken out of the squad completely."
Notably, Babar has been woefully out of form in Tests, having scored his last half-century in whites in Dec 2022. He has played 18 innings without a 50-plus score and returned with scores of 30 and 5 in the series opener. Thus, he was rested for the remainder of the series.
Ramiz further opined, "We need to understand he sells cricket for Pakistan and there is always this debate happening in Pakistan on whether it’s going to be another failure for Babar Azam or whether he is going to make a comeback and that keeps things interesting." He added, "Right now, I don’t see any sellable commodity in this Pakistan team. The sponsors are a little wary as well because Pakistan have been on a losing sequence and there are no real superstars playing in this Test match."
Pakistan trail England 1-0 in the three-match Test series and Masood & Co. are under severe pressure, having not won a Test on home soil since early 2022.