Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi dropped, Pakistan announce squad for 2nd and 3rd Test vs England

New Delhi: The Pakistan Cricket Board has announced the team for the second and third Test matches against England. Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi along with two other players have been dropped from the team. The PCB has said that they have been given rest. The second Test will be played on 15 October and the last Test match on 24 October in Multan and Rawalpindi.

In a statement announcing the squad, PCB said that keeping in mind the current form and fitness of the key players and Pakistan’s future tasks in the 2024-25 international cricket season, the selectors have decided to rest Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Sarfraz Ahmed and Shaheen Shah Afridi. Abrar Ahmed (who is recovering from dengue fever) was not available for selection.

These players were included:

These four players have been replaced by Hasibullah, Mehran Mumtaz, Kamran Ghulam (all uncapped), fast bowler Mohammad Ali and off-spinner Sajid Khan. Noman Ali and Zahid Mahmood, who were initially part of the first Test squad but were later released, have also been included in the 16-player squad.

“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.”

Pakistan name squad for second and third Tests against England #PAKvENG | #TestAtHome pic.twitter.com/EHS9m84TXK

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 13, 2024

“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.”

“They remain some of our finest talents with much more to contribute to Pakistan cricket. We are fully committed to supporting them during this period so they can come back even stronger,” said Aqib Javed, a member of the new selection committee, in the statement.

“At the same time, we are offering opportunities to uncapped players like Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, and Kamran Ghulam, along with Mohammad Ali, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan and Zahid Mehmood. They now have the chance to showcase their skills against a formidable England side. We believe they will rise to the occasion and make the most of this opportunity in the remaining two Tests,” added Javed.

Meanwhile, Hasibullah and Mehran Mumtaz, who were part of the Pakistan Shaheens squad for the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup, have been replaced by Maz Sadaqat and Rohel Nazir. The tournament will be played in Oman from October 18.

Pakistan squad for second and third Tests: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Haseebullah (wicket-keeper), 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.