Ramiz Raja questions the dropping of "Pakistan's only marketable star" Babar Azam

The former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief and former captain, Ramiz Raja, has slammed the decision to drop Babar Azam from the Test squad, branding it a "knee-jerk reaction" by national selectors and PCB to the star batter’s lean patch in the format.

The Pakistan selectors’ shocking call came after Babar struggled to find form with the bat, as the former captain failed to score fifty in nearly two years, leading to his omission from the Test squad for the second and third Tests of the ongoing home series against England.

Ramiz Raja slams PCB for dropping Babar Azam from Test side

Apart from Babar Azam, the national selectors also dropped the star bowlers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah for the remaining matches of the ongoing England series.

However, amid the uproar, Pakistan's assistant coach Azhar Mahmood insisted that Babar was just "rested" rather than dropped and reaffirmed that the star batter will remain their number one batter.

In an official statement from the PCB, selector Aaqib Javed emphasized that the decision was made to prioritize the best interests of Pakistan cricket and the players. He stated: “We’ve made the decision to rest Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Shaheen Shah Afridi.”

It should have been Babar Azam's call: Ramiz Raja

Meanwhile, Ramiz Raja didn't hold back and slammed the PCB and national selectors for dropping Babar Azam from the team in the middle of the England series at home. The commentator said that even if Babar wanted to take a break, the call should have been made by the right-hander himself.

Speaking candidly on Sky Sports, Ramiz Raja stated: “It should have been Babar's call whether he wanted time out from the playing XI or not. I think it was a knee-jerk reaction; new selectors in; the general opinion was that he needed rest, and he was taken out of the squad completely.”

Meanwhile, Raja has expressed concern that Babar Azam's removal from the team could have significant consequences for sponsors. He emphasized that Babar is mainly the only marketable star in the Pakistan cricket team, and without his presence, the viewership for the second Test against England will suffer. Raja noted that sponsors are worried at the moment.

I don't see any saleable commodity in the Pakistan team: Ramiz Raja

Raja signed off by saying, “Now we need to understand that he sells cricket for Pakistan and this debate that's happening right now in Pakistan whether there's going to be another failure for Babar Azam or whether he's going to make a comeback, and that keeps things interesting.

Right now, I don't see any saleable commodity in the Pakistan team because sponsors are a little wary as well because Pakistan has been on a losing streak and there are no real superstars playing in this Test match now.”

"It should've been Babar's call" 👀

Ramiz Raja discusses Babar Azam being dropped from the second Test 🇵🇰 pic.twitter.com/5Qsyn6SrJM

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) October 15, 2024

Notably, Pakistan had won the toss and decided to bat first in the second Test against England in Multan. Pakistan opener Abdullah Shafique and captain Shan Masood fell cheaply for just seven and three runs, respectively.

However, Saim Ayub and Kamran Ghulam’s fifty brought some stability to their innings against England at the Multan Cricket Stadium.