Babar Azam has been dropped from the Pakistan squad for the remaining two Tests against England.
Pakistan are trailing 0-1 in the ongoing three-Test series against England after losing the first match in Multan by an innings and 47 runs.
The Shan Masood-led side is facing a must-win situation in the second game to avoid another Test series loss on home soil.
Ahead of the second Test, the PCB selectors have taken some bold calls as they have dropped struggling stars like Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah from the remainder of the series.
However, the decision to sideline the aforementioned players has been questioned by many experts and former cricketers, including Nasser Hussain.
The cricketer-turned-commentator lamented Pakistan's lack of "planning and forward-thinking," highlighting that the real issue lies behind the scenes rather than with key players like Babar, Shaheen or Naseem.
"A little bit of forward planning and forward thinking. I think that's what's lacking in Pakistan Cricket. Even like with the venues. Coming here we didn't know where England were gonna play. Still, here we sit here. Now we don't really know where. The third Test, we don't know which pitch they're gonna play on tomorrow for the second Test. And that comes from behind the scenes and the changes that happen. I think you said in the paper today. It was 26 different selectors. I read 27. The other different paper. 27. You can't keep counting him out. So how many? How many have England had? Two or three basically 27-26 different selectors. Chairman of selectors. You know everything coaches, captain," Hussain said while speaking to Michael Atherton on Sky Sports.
The former England captain was particularly vocal about Babar Azam’s exclusion. "I think he just deserved a little bit better," Hussain said, defending Babar, who hasn’t scored a half-century in his last 18 Test innings.
Nasser Hussain also dismissed the notion that Babar, Naseem Shah, or Shaheen Afridi were to blame for the team’s recent failures, pointing instead to structural issues within the PCB.
"The issue is not Babar, Shaheen, or Naseem. The issue is behind the scenes in the way Pakistan cricket runs their cricket."
The selection of five fresh players for the second and third Tests, most of whom have limited or no international experience, has sparked a debate. Among the newcomers, only Sajid Khan and Mohammad Ali have played Tests this year, while Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, and Haseebullah have no Test caps to their name.
The second Test match between Pakistan and England is slated to get underway on Tuesday (October 15) in Multan.