Ace Pakistan batter Babar Azam is all set to be dropped for the second Test against England, as the star cricketer goes through a rare lean patch that doesn't seem to have an end and as Pakistan's woes in Tests continue, both at home and away. According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, his dropping was recommended by the newly formed selection committee, which consists of former umpire Aleem Dar, medium-pacer Aaqib Javed, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, analyst Hassan Cheema, skipper Shan Masood and coach Jason Gillespie.

In the immediate aftermath of the innings loss to England in the first Test on Friday, Masood backed Babar, calling him "Pakistan's best batter" and repeating his call to give players more time.

The report though says that the selection panel felt that Babar would benefit from time away from the Pakistan team as runs dry up, not having scored even a half-century over the last 22 months.

Although Masood and Gillespie are part of the selection panel, they weren't part of the meeting that was held hours after Pakistan's embarrassing defeat to England. The selectors though travelled to Multan on Saturday, October 12 to meet Masood, Gillespie and the pitch curator.

If he is dropped from the squad for the second Test, it needs to be seen if Babar makes himself available for Faisalabad for the upcoming Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan's domestic first-class competition. He hasn't featured in the tournament over the past five years.

Babar hasn't even looked confident while batting and in the first Test against England, he could manage just 35 runs across two innings. He hasn't scored a half-century in the last 18 innings and the pressure has expectedly mounted on him.

Since the start of last year, Babar averages less than 21 in nine Tests. The second Test against England will begin on October 15 in Multan.

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