Absolutely stupid decision: Michael Vaughan fumes after Pakistan drop Babar Azam from 2nd Test vs England

So Pakistan haven’t won in a while .. Go 1 nil down in the series and decide to drop the best player in @babarazam258 .. I guess Pakistan cricket is full of surprises but this tops the lot .. absolutely stupid decision .. unless he has asked for a break !!!

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) October 13, 2024

On Sunday, Pakistan dropped former captain Babar as well as Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Sarfaraz Ahmed from the squad for the remaining two matches in the series.

Addressing the move, Aaqib Javed from the selection panel stated, “Selecting the squad for the upcoming Tests against England has been a challenging task for the selectors. We’ve had to carefully consider current player form, the urgency to bounce back in the series and Pakistan’s demanding 2024-25 international schedule.

“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,” he added.

Babar, who recently resigned from his position as white-ball captain, has been criticized for poor returns with the bat.

The 29-year-old’s last 50 plus score in Tests came 18 innings ago, during the Multan Test against New Zealand back in December 2022.

Pakistan have been under the pump after having been whitewashed 2-0 in a home series by Bangladesh followed by a defeat in the first Test by England that saw the hosts lose the plot despite scoring 556 in the first innings.