Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Selection Committee on Sunday announced to relieve Shan Masood as Pakistan test team captain and appoint Babar Azam as captain for the West Indies and England test series.
Aqib Javed, who led the Selection Committee including Misbah ul Haq and during the press conference at the Gaddafi stadium, told that only Babar Azam was discussed and unanimously endorsed by the membersof the selection committee after Shan Masood could not provide satisfactory results over the past three years as red-ball captain.
Aqib Javed, to a query, said that Salman Ali Agha was not considered for test captaincy by the selection committee, adding that Shan Masood did not do well as a captain but his individual performance has been satisfactory during the past three years.
Quoting a test match against West Indies, South Africa and Bangladesh, the former fast-bowler said that the test matches were lost by a close margin and the captain could not lead from the front.
“Besides the individual responsibilities, a captain has to finish games, maintain over rate during a test match, take right DRS calls and take the right call at the toss in a match, he said, adding that Pakistan lost matches from a position of strength and nature of defeats has been repetitive.
Considering Babar Azam past’s heroics, he was the ultimate choice for the selectors and bring with the confidence and poise to lead the team on a challenging foreign yatra.
It will be Babar Azam’s second stint as captain after he decided to relinquish the charge in 2023.
In his previous tenure, Pakistan won 10 test matches out of the 20. Though Babar Azam’s performance under Shan Masood has not been exemplary but his batting averages as test captain were remarkable.
On Babar Azam’s role in the other to formats, former captain Misbah ul Haq said Babar Azam is an all-format player and his performances have proved it. He said Babar Azam was the highest run-getter in the PSL 11 and leads the ICC batting charts in T20Is.
“The only question mark on Babar Azam’s selection was in T20Is but his recent form with the bat in the PSL 11 has proved his worth in the T20Is,” he responded, adding that it depends on the T20 I team management how did it see his use in the team.
Misbah said Babar Azam is good in all three formats and, in his opinion, he can be included in all three format as technically the soundest of all. He said the team management needed to give Babar Azam the confidence so that h could replicate the performance he has been giving in the past.
However, Shan Masood’s replacement is not the only change in the selection as the selection committee dropped Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Hasan Ali and Noman Ali for the West Indies and England tours.
On Naseem Shah, Aqib believed it was not end of the road for Naseem Shah but, sometimes, players are dropped to give them time to whet their skills.
Besides dropping some players, the PCB has selected four uncapped players including left-arm spinner Ali Usman, right-handed batter Muhammad Awais Zafar, right-arm fast bowler Ubaid Shah and wicket-keeper batter Muhammad Ghazi Ghori. Pakistan is due to play a two-match Test series against the West Indies from 25 July to 6 August, followed by a three-match Test series in England from 19 August to 13 September.
A 16-member squad has been named for the West Indies series, while a 17-member squad has been announced for the England series. Saud Shakeel has been included as the 17th member for the England series, subject to fitness.
16-member squad (in alphabetical order) for West Indies series: Babar Azam (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam ul Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Mohammad Awais Zafar, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wicket-keeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah
17-member squad (in alphabetical order) for England series:
Babar Azam (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam ul Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Muhammad Awais Zafar, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wicket-keeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel (subject to fitness), Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah
Schedule for West Indies series:
25-29 July – First Test, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba
2-6 August – Second Test, Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Port of Spain
Schedule for England series:
19-23 August – First Test, Leeds
27-31 August – Second Test, Lord’s
9-13 September – Third Test, Birmingham.