"Babar Azam sells cricket for Pakistan"- Former Pakistan Cricketer

Former Pakistan cricketer and PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja voiced his displeasure over Babar Azam's exclusion from the second and third Test matches against England.

Former Australian cricketer Mark Waugh also echoed Ramiz Raja's remarks, adding that Babar Azam should be playing in the second Test.

Babar has been going through the most difficult phase of his international cricketing career.

The right-handed batter has scored 352 runs in his last nine Tests at a disappointing average of 21, with a best score of 21. He managed to score 35 runs in the first Test against England on the flat Multan track.

Babar Azam And 3 Others Dropped From Pakistan Test Squad

The Pakistan selectors decided to drop the star trio of Babar, Shaheen Afridi, and Naseem Shah following the innings defeat during the recent first Test match.

Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah were previously dropped from the Pakistan squad after the first Test match against Bangladesh.

Pakistan's recent losses in three consecutive home Tests are not completely due to individual players. Apart from Rizwan, the batting lineup has struggled, including captain Shan Masood. The Pakistan Cricket Board's constant changes in leadership have affected team performances.

It Should Have Been Babar Azam's Call - Ramiz Raja

Speaking to Sky Sports before the start of play on Day 1 of the second Test, Ramiz Raja criticized Babar's exclusion from the playing XI. Ramiz stated that it should have been Babar's decision, not the selectors'. He described the move as a "kneejerk reaction" by the new selection committee.

"It should have been Babar's call whether he wanted time out of the playing XI or not. It was a kneejerk reaction, new selectors in. The general opinion was he needed rest and he was taken out of the squad completely," Raja told Sky Sports.

"We need to understand he sells cricket for Pakistan and there is always this debate happening in Pakistan on whether it's going to be another failure for Babar Azam or whether he is going to make a comeback and that keeps things interesting."

"Right now, I don't see any sellable commodity in this Pakistan team. The sponsors are a little wary as well because Pakistan have been on a losing sequence and no real superstars are playing in this Test match," he added.

Babar Azam Should Be Playing In This Test Match - Mark Waugh

Mark Waugh also said that Babar should be included in the Test, describing him as the best player in Pakistan. He added that Pakistan doesn't have the luxury of world-class players in their Test team. Waugh stated that even England would still consider Babar as the key wicket in the Pakistan lineup.

"Babar should be playing in this test match. He is their best player and Pakistan doesn’t exactly have the luxury of many world-class players in and around their test team. I’m sure England would still regard him as the big wicket in the Pakistan lineup," Mark Waugh wrote.

Also read: Nasser Hussain lashes out at PCB for dropping Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi; Wasim Akram reacts