PCB's Big Move Ahead Of Zimbabwe Tour Signals More Trouble For Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi And Seniors - Report

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made a bold move and dropped senior players Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah from the Test squad for the final two tests against England. The move was triggered by Pakistan's six consecutive defeats in the format and the lack of contributions from the ace players. The move did work well for Pakistan as they ended their losing streak, beating England in the second Test. Kamran Ghulam, who replaced Babar Azam, scored a century in the second Test, while there were vital contributions from Noman Ali and Sajid Khan as well. Given Pakistan's success without the senior players, questions now arise whether the big guns will be shown a way out of the white-ball formats as well. It is learned that the senior players are under serious pressure to deliver in the following opportunities else they could suffer the same fate in white-ball formats. However, with the Australia series lined up, where Pakistan will play three ODIs and as many T20Is, PCB would be hesitant to take such harsh calls, especially a few series before the However, non-performance in the series won't work well for the seniors in the long run.

PCB To Rest Babar, Shaheen And Seniors For ZIM TourPakistan are also likely to give the senior players a break in the following series against Zimbabwe to test the young brigade. As per a report in Cricket Pakistan, the PCB is all set to rest Babar, Shaheen and Mohammad Rizwan, among other seniors, from the Zimbabwe tour. The Men in Green are set to play three ODIs and as many T20Is on the tour. The decision is a big statement by the PCB to the players to not take their place for granted. Players who do well on the Zimbabwe tour will push the non-performing senior players to their limits and could well knock them out of the team if the big guns fail to deliver. Meanwhile, the Pakistan team will be led by a new captain in the Australia series as Babar Azam stepped down as captain following heavy criticism after Pakistan's shambolic show in the T20 World Cup. The announcement regarding the new captain could come anytime soon.