Former cricketer Zaheer Abbas has criticized Babar Azam’s recent performance, suggesting that the captain should be dropped from the Pakistan cricket team. Abbas, celebrated as the “Asian Bradman” for his batting prowess, made these remarks during the Cricket Predicta Conclave in Ajman, UAE, marking the 100th episode of the international cricket talk show.
“Babar Azam should be dropped from the team,” Abbas stated. “If he’s not scoring runs, and he’s our main batsman, he should be out of the team.”
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His comments come in light of Babar’s disappointing performances in the recent Test series against Bangladesh, where he scored just 0, 22, 11, and 31 in four innings. Following this series, Pakistan lost, and Babar has fallen out of the ICC top 10 rankings for the first time in several years. The captain’s form has also come under fire after Pakistan’s early exit from the 2024 T20 World Cup, where defeats to the USA and India led to group-stage elimination.
Concerns are rising regarding Babar’s captaincy in white-ball cricket, with speculation about a potential change ahead of Pakistan’s upcoming tour of Australia in November. Abbas also dismissed comparisons between Babar and Indian batting star Virat Kohli, stating, “The comparisons are pointless. Virat Kohli scores in every match; the other player (Babar) doesn’t score in any match, so how can you compare?”
Pakistan’s next Test challenge is against England in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25, with the first Test scheduled for October 7-11 in Multan. The squad for the first Test includes Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), and Babar Azam, among others.
Pakistan-England Test Series Schedule:
7-11 Oct – First Test, Multan
15-19 Oct – Second Test, Multan
24-28 Oct – Third Test, Rawalpind
