Former Pakistan cricketer and PCB president Ramiz Raja has expressed 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 comments and added that Babar Azam should play in the second Test.

Babar has gone through the most difficult phase of his international cricket career.

The right-handed batsman 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 track in Multan.

Babar Azam and three others dropped from Pakistan Test team

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 team after the first Test match against Bangladesh.

Pakistan’s recent defeats in three consecutive Tests at home are not solely down to individual players. Apart from Rizwan, the batting line-up has struggled, including captain Shan Masood. The Pakistan Cricket Board’s constant leadership changes have affected the team’s performance.

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 claimed that it should have been Babar’s decision, not the selectors’. He described the move as a “knee-jerk reaction” on the part of the new selection committee.

“It should have been Babar’s decision whether he wanted time out of the eleven or not. It was a knee-jerk reaction, new selectors came in. The general opinion was that he needed a rest and they took him out of the team completely,” Raja told Sky. Sports.

“We need to understand that he sells cricket for Pakistan and there is always a debate in Pakistan whether it will 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 product in this Pakistan team. Sponsors are also a bit cautious because Pakistan has been on a losing sequence and there are no real superstars playing in this Test match,” he added.

Babar Azam should play in this Test match – Mark Waugh

Mark Waugh also said that Babar should be included in the Test and described him as Pakistan’s best player. He added that Pakistan cannot afford to have world-class players in its Test team. Waugh claimed that even England would still consider Babar as the key position in Pakistan’s line-up.

“Babar should play in this Test match. He is their best player and Pakistan doesn’t exactly have the luxury of having many world-class players in and around their Test team. I’m sure England would still consider him the big wicket. in Pakistan’s lineup,” wrote Mark Waugh.

Also Read: Nasser Hussain lashes out at PCB for sacking Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi; Wasim Akram reacts