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“He was willing to play” – Pakistan’s assistant coach Azhar Mahmood says Babar Azam rested and not dropped for remaining two PAK vs ENG Tests

Pakistan’s assistant coach Azhar Mahmood has claimed that former skipper Babar Azam has been rested and not dropped for the remaining two Tests of the ongoing three-match series against England. Mahmood said that Babar was eager to play the remaining games but the decision was taken due to a jampacked calendar.

Notably, Pakistan dropped a bombshell after Babar was not included in the squad for the remaining Tests versus England. This came after the Lahore batter returned with below-par scores of 30 (71) and 5 (15) on a batting-friendly pitch in the first game. The right-hander has gone 18 innings without a half-century in the format.

Speaking about Babar Azam, Azhar Mahmood said in a pre-match press conference (via India Today):

"He hasn't been dropped. He has been rested. The management also understands that there has been a lot happening in the last few months. Mentally, even if you say you're strong, it still goes on in the back of the mind.
"He was willing to play. But it was the decision for him and Pakistan team to give him a rest so that he can come fresh. Because after this, we're playing till April next year.”

Mahmood continued:

"Babar is our No.1 player. There is no question about that- his technique and ability. If you look at Pakistan's FTP, there's a lot of cricket coming up. So, because of that, the selection committee decided that this was the best time to give Babar a rest."
"After that, we have to go to Australia and Zimbabwe and there is a South Africa tour as well. So that's important," he added.

Notably, Pakistan are scheduled to play a white-ball series against Australia in November. That will be followed by a white-ball series in Zimbabwe and South Africa in November-December.

The Men in Green will also play a two-match Test series against South Africa (away) and West Indies (home) in December-January. They will then play a rare Tri-series in ODIs, involving New Zealand and South Africa in February before hosting a limited-overs tour of New Zealand in March.


Azhar Mahmood says Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi rested alongside Babar Azam

Azhar Mahmood added that pacers Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi were also rested alongside Babar Azam. The 49-year-old said:

"If you look at the fast bowling, this was the third test under new management. Before that, we were also struggling as we wanted to know how to get 20 wickets. So now we think we have more options with spin.
"There were also a few niggles. Naseem had a few niggles and Shaheen was playing a lot of cricket. So we decided to rest him.”

Notably, England put up 823/7 in the first Test before winning the game by an innings and 47 runs. Afridi picked up a solitary wicket for 120 runs in his 26 overs, while Naseem Shah conceded 157 runs for two wickets.

Pakistan playing XI for the second Test against England: Abdullah Sahfique, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood (C), Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Aamer Jamal, Sajid Khan, Noman Ali, and Zahid Mahmood.

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