MULTAN, Pakistan — Following a disappointing performance in the first Test against England, where they suffered a historic defeat by an innings and 47 runs, Pakistan made significant changes to its squad on Sunday. Among the notable omissions is Babar Azam, who has been out of form, not hitting a half-century in his last 18 innings.

Babar, along with fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and reserve wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed, was removed from the 16-member squad. Aqib Javed, a member of the selection committee, explained that the decision was made after evaluating the players’ current performances and the need for the team to bounce back in the series. “In the best interest of Pakistan cricket and the players, we’ve decided to rest Babar, Naseem, Sarfaraz, and Afridi,” he stated.

Javed emphasized that the break from international play would allow these key players to recover their fitness, confidence, and composure. “They remain among our finest talents, and we believe they will have much more to contribute to Pakistan cricket in the future,” he added. The committee is committed to supporting these players during this period, hoping to see them return reinvigorated.

In their stead, uncapped player Haseebullah will replace Sarfaraz, while spinners Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, and Zahid Mahmood have been included in the squad to challenge England’s top-order batsmen in the upcoming Tests. Notably, leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed has been ruled out due to hospitalization for fever during the first Test.

The second Test is set to take place on the same pitch where Pakistan, for the first time, lost a Test match after scoring over 500 runs in their first innings. England’s Harry Brook scored a stunning triple century, and Joe Root contributed a solid 262 runs, propelling their score to 823-7 declared, while Pakistan managed only 220 in their second innings, losing by an innings.

Kamran Ghulam, another uncapped player with consistent domestic performance, is expected to replace Babar at the No. 4 position, marking his Test debut in the upcoming match on Tuesday. Pakistan has faced challenges in claiming all 20 wickets in five of its last six Test matches, resulting in captain Shan Masood losing all these games. Both Afridi and Naseem were part of six bowlers who allowed over 100 runs in England’s record-setting first innings at Multan, which was reached at an average of over five runs per over.

Babar’s struggles in red-ball cricket have been evident since his innings of 161 against New Zealand in December 2022. His highest score has since dropped to 41 against Australia in Melbourne last year and a disappointing performance in a previous home series against Bangladesh, where he totaled only 64 runs in four innings, followed by a mere 30 and 5 in the first Test against England.

This year has been particularly challenging for Babar, who was reinstated as white-ball captain earlier in 2024. Under his leadership, the team managed only a victory against Ireland in a bilateral T20 series, before facing an early exit from the T20 World Cup after defeats to the United States and India.

Earlier this month, Babar stepped down from the white-ball captaincy, expressing a desire to concentrate on his batting. However, he failed to make an impact against England on a flat pitch in Multan, where three of his teammates—captain Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique, and Salman Ali Agha—achieved centuries in the first innings.

Following the loss in the first Test, the Pakistan Cricket Board reshaped its selection committee, which now includes Javed, former ICC umpire Aleem Dar, ex-captain Azhar Ali, and analyst Hasan Cheema.

**Squad:** Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel, Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, and Zahid Mehmood.