[Watch]: Jason Gillespie, Shan Masood Console Emotional Babar Azam After Test Squad Snub, Video Goes Viral
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) took a bold move after the team's horrific outing in the first Test against England and dropped Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Naseem Shah from the squad for the second and third Test.
The PCB said the decision to drop Babar, Shaheen, and Naseem was taken keeping the players' form and fitness in mind. The calls to drop Babar and other non-performing players were on the rise after the team's defeat to Bangladesh, but to be fair, not many expected PCB to make such a bold move in a tough series against England.
Meanwhile, a video on social media went viral where Babar looked distraught and was comforted by coach Jason Gillespie, Azhar Mahmood, and Test captain Shan Masood. While it's unclear what the coaches and captain said to Babar, it was alleged they were comforting him for the snub from the Test side.
PCB Selector Aqib Javed Breaks Silence On Dropping Babar, Shaheen And Naseem
On dropping Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Naseem Shah, member of the selection committee Aqib Javed said that the break will give the players time to work on fitness, confidence, and composure, adding that they still have a lot to contribute to Pakistan Cricket.
“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. 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 in a statement.
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