Fakhar Zaman torn apart by Australia legend for baseless Virat Kohli-Babar Azam comparison

The cricketing world has been buzzing with heated debates as Pakistan has shockingly dropped their star batter Babar Azam for the remaining two Tests of the ongoing three-match Test series against England. Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg has entered the fray with a stunning statement.

Hogg strongly said that comparing Babar's dip in form to that of Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli’s infamous slump is just baseless, as he highlighted a striking difference in outcomes for their respective teams. The comparison showed how badly Pakistan depends on Babar.

Brad Hogg destroys Fakhar Zaman over Babar-Virat comparison

The former Australian spinner highlighted that India managed to maintain one of the best winning percentages during Virat Kohli's struggles with the bat, but Pakistan experienced a sharp decline when their star batter Babar Azam was going through a rough patch for the past three years.

Hogg further suggested that Pakistan's poor results during Babar's rough patch left little room for mercy for the star batter from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the national selectors, who went against the Test captain Shan Masood and head coach Jason Gillespie to drop their former captain for the remaining Tests against England.

The Pakistan cricket team has struggled to find consistency and even lost six back-to-back Test matches under Masood’s captaincy, while their home Test win came against South Africa in 2021.

Given the overwhelming performance in the format, the pressure on Babar to perform was immense, and another poor outing against England in the first Test eventually led to his ouster.

Comparing bad form between Babar Azam and Virat Kohli is baseless: Brad Hogg

Ever since Babar Azam was dropped for the last two Tests against England, many have been comparing his form slump and the rough patch once endured by Indian cricket legend Virat Kohli.

Pakistan player Fakhar Zaman had openly condemned PCB's decision to drop Babar from the team. He took to social media platform X before the official squad announcement of Pakistan for the 2nd and 3rd Tests vs England and slammed PCB.

Fakhar Zaman did not stop there and he showed Virat Kohli's stats during his slump in form from 2019-2022 and asked PCB to honor Babar Azam. This enraged quite a lot of Indian fans too and as per reports, PCB is also not happy with Fakhar Zaman openly questioning the board and the selectors.

It’s concerning to hear suggestions about dropping Babar Azam. India didn’t bench Virat Kohli during his rough stretch between 2020 and 2023, when he averaged 19.33, 28.21, and 26.50, respectively. If we are considering sidelining our premier batsman, arguably the best Pakistan…

— Fakhar Zaman (@FakharZamanLive) October 13, 2024

However, Brad Hogg has leveled such comparisons as irrelevant and pointed to key differences between the two players' struggles. He had also called for the tough decisions from PCB.

Brad Hogg posted on X: “Comparing bad form between Babar Azam and Virat Kohli after rumors the Pakistan legend will be dropped for the 2nd Test vs England is baseless. India: 2nd best win% during Kohli's draft. Pakistan: 2nd worst win% through Babar's. Hard decisions need to be made!”

Comparing bad form between Babar Azam & Kohli after rumours the Pakistan legend will be dropped for the 2nd test v England is baseless.
India: 2nd best win % during Kohli's draught.
Pakistan: 2nd worst win % through Babar's.
Hard decisions need to be made!#ENGvsPAK #IINDvAUS

— Brad Hogg (@Brad_Hogg) October 14, 2024

We are fully committed to supporting them: Aqib Javed

Meanwhile, the PCB, in a press release, said that the selectors have decided to give rest to Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Shaheen Shah Afridi, considering the current form and looking ahead to Pakistan’s future assignments in the 2024-25 season.

Aqib Javed, Pakistan selection committee member, stated: “We are confident that this break from international cricket will help these players regain their fitness, confidence, and composure, ensuring they return in top shape for future challenges. They remain some of our finest talents, with much more to contribute to Pakistan cricket. We are fully committed to supporting them during this period so they can come back even stronger.”

Pakistan squad for second and third Test against England:

Shan Masood (C), Saud Shakeel (VC), Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Haseebullah (WK), Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, and Zahid Mehmood.