'Yar pls yeah ghatia soch khatam karo k babar team me ni tha ya...': Mohammad Amir comes in Azam's defense after Pakistan end Test win drought at home

On October 18, Pakistan ended their Test win drought on home soil with a 152-run win against England in the second Test at Multan Cricket Stadium to level series 1-1. The win came after Pakistan selectors dropped an under-performing Babar Azam alongside Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah. Babar’s replacement, Kamran Ghulam went on to score a century on debut which further fuelled criticism of Babar. After the comeback win for Shan Masood-led side, Mohammad Amir came in Babar’s defense. 

Amir wrote on X: “Yar pls yeah ghatia soch khatam karo k babar team me ni tha ya woh player ni tha to team jeet gayi .hum better planning k sath khaile home advantage  liya or jeet gaye. pls personal  na hn apne player's k sath yes performance base ap bat Karen but pls personal  na hn (Guys please put a stop to this narrative that Pakistan won because Babar or someone else wasn't there in the team. We won with better planning and using the home advantage. Please stop personal attacks on players. Yes, you can criticise him based on his performances but nothing personal.)” 

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Dropped or rested?

Babar was dropped as he failed to register a fifty-plus score in last nine Tests. On the batting-friendly pitch in the first Test, he registered scores of 30 and 5 while England batters piled on runs. He managed to score just 64 runs from four innings against Bangladesh. His form was one of the reasons by Pakistan struggled to dominate teams whether it is in home or away conditions.

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When the squad for the remainder of the series was announced, it was assumed that the trio has been dropped. However, assistant coach Azhar Mahmood clarified that the three players have been rested and will return to the squad when they tour overseas.

Babar, Naseem, Shaheen to return for limited-overs tour

Meanwhile, there are reports that Babar, Shaheen and Naseem will be named in the squad for limited-overs tour of Australia. As per reports, Mohammad Rizwan is likely to be the next ODI and T20I captain after Babar stepped down from the role. The ODI series against Australia will begin on November 4 at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).