Babar Azam to be kicked out of playing XI for second Test against England

Babar Azam is reportedly set to be rested for the upcoming second Pakistan vs England Test as he continues to struggle in Tests.

The right-handed batsman has been under severe pressure after failing to deliver in the first Test that ended earlier this week. On a pitch where batsmen from both sides scored runs for fun, the former Pakistan captain struggled to score big in both innings.

In the first innings, Pakistan piled up a mammoth total of 556 runs with as many as three batters scoring centuries. Captain Shan Masood top-scored for his side, scoring 151 runs while the likes of Abdullah Shafique (102) and Agha Salman (104*) scored tons as well. Saud Shakeel also played a crucial knock of 82 runs.

Babar, on the other hand, failed to do well with the bat. The right-handed batsman got the start but could not convert it into a big score as he was out for 30 runs off 71 balls.

In reply to Pakistan's first innings total of 556, England posted a mammoth total of 823/7 (declared). Harry Brooks scored a triple-century while Joe Root scored a double-century. Zak Crawley (78) and Ben Duckett (84) scored fifties as well.

Babar Azam to be 'rested':

Babar had the chance to make amends in the second innings. However, the Pakistan star failed to deliver with the bat once again. After Pakistan lost two wickets for just 29 runs, they needed their former captain to rise to the occasion.

Babar Azam disappointed in the second innings too and was out for only 5 runs. The other Pakistan batters failed to do well too in the second innings as the home side was bowled out for only 220 runs. England won the game by an innings and 47 runs as Pakistan became the first team to suffer an innings defeat even after scoring 550-plus total.

Even though Pakistan desperately need to win the upcoming Test, reports from Pakistani media state that Babar Azam is likely to be rested. While the reports state that the senior batsman would be rested, it is quite clear that he is being dropped.

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Babar Azam likely to be rested for the second test against England pic.twitter.com/3fFheg1PWW

— ٰImran Siddique (@imransiddique89) October 12, 2024

The axing will come after a string of poor outings with the bat from Babar Azam. In August, he had a disappointing outing in the two-Test series against Bangladesh as well. In four innings, the Pakistan star registered scores of 0, 22, 31, and 11 as Bangladesh inflicted a humiliating defeat on Pakistan in both Tests.

Meanwhile, the second Test between England and Pakistan is scheduled to be played from Tuesday (October 15).