Pakistan

Pakistan cricketer Fakhar Zaman has been issued a show cause notice by the country's cricket board for questioning the decision to drop premier batter Babar Azam from the remaining two Tests against England.

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The development was reported by cricket news website Cricbuzz which also said that Zaman had called the reports of dropping Azam 'concerning' five minutes before the PCB announced the news.

Also Read: India coach Gautam Gambhir puts focus on 'adaptability' to be successful in Tests

"It is concerning to hear suggestions about dropping Babar Azam," Zaman had posted on social media platform X.

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"India didn't bench Virat Kohli during his rough stretch between 2020 and 2023, when he averaged 19.33, 28.21, and 26.50, respectively. If we are considering sidelining our premier batsman, arguably the best Pakistan has ever produced, it could send a deeply negative message across the team. There is still time to avoid pressing the panic button; we should focus on safeguarding our key players rather than undermining them," he added.

Pakistan decided to rest Babar, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Sarfaraz Ahmed from the remaining two Tests against England after an innings and 47 runs loss in the first Test.

The decision was taken by the selection panel of Aleem Dar, Aaqib Javed, and Azhar Ali joining Asad Shafiq, Hasan Cheema, and Test coach Jason Gillespie, along with Test captain Shan Masood.

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"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," said selection panel member Aaqib Javed on Sunday (Oct 13).

Pakistan squad for 2nd and 3rd Tests: Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel (vc), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Haseebullah (wk), Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha and Zahid Mehmood.