Babar Azam Dropped from Pakistan’s Squad: PCB Responds to His Exclusion, ‘Our Attention…’
Kerala News
New Delhi: Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam is facing a tough time lately. His bat has fallen silent, and due to his poor form, the PCB has decided to drop him from the squad. The Pakistani selectors have announced the team for the upcoming second and third Test matches against England, excluding Babar along with fast bowlers Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Sarfaraz Ahmed. The PCB later clarified that the decision was made to rest these key players, taking into account their current form and fitness levels.
The PCB said, ‘We believe that this break from international cricket will help these players regain their fitness, confidence and patience. Keeping in mind the current form and fitness of the key players and Pakistan’s future in the 2024-25 international cricket season, the selectors have decided to rest Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shaheen Shah Afridi.’
Three players in the team for the first time
PCB further said, ‘Hasibullah, Mehran Mumtaz, Kamran Ghulam (all uncapped), fast bowler Mohammad Ali and off-spinner Sajid Khan have been included in place of four players. Noman Ali and Zahid Mahmood, who were initially part of the first Test team but were later released, have also been included in the 16-player squad.’
Pakistan team for the second and third Tests:
Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafiq, Hasibullah (wicketkeeper), Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Zahid Mahmood.
Ranji Trophy: Chandigarh Defeated, Mumbai on the Path to Victory – Highlights from Day 3
New Delhi: Cheteshwar Pujara was dismissed for a duck after facing just six balls against Tamil Nadu, leaving Saurashtra struggling at 35 for five in their second innings of the Ranji Trophy Group D match on Sunday. Saurashtra trails Tamil Nadu by 129 runs. On the third day of the season’s first match, Tamil Nadu’s left-arm pacer Gurjapani Singh delivered a fierce spell, taking four wickets for just seven runs in nine overs, including five maidens.
In Chandigarh, Railways defeated the host team by 181 runs. Chasing a target of 341, Chandigarh crumbled for 159 in 40.2 overs. Akash Pandey claimed four wickets for 46 runs, Karn Sharma picked up three, and Himanshu Sangwan took two. Except for Arsalan Khan (46) and Ankit Kaushik (45), no other batsman could put up a fight, resulting in Chandigarh’s defeat. Meanwhile, in the Mumbai vs Baroda match, Mumbai lost two wickets in their second innings and now needs 220 runs to win.
In another match, Delhi secured a 14-run lead in the first innings, but Chhattisgarh was 33 without loss at stumps on the third day, leading by 19 runs. Delhi’s advantage came thanks to captain Himmat Singh’s 65 and Jonty Sidhu’s unbeaten 103 (with 11 fours and two sixes). In Guwahati, Assam was 130 for three following on, still trailing by 51 runs.
In the Bengal vs Uttar Pradesh match, Sudip Chatterjee continued his fine form with another 50+ score, while Abhimanyu Easwaran remained unbeaten with a half-century, giving Bengal a crucial first-innings lead on Day 3 of the Ranji Trophy Group C match. Earlier, Mukesh Kumar (43 runs) and Shahbaz Ahmed (96 runs) bowled out Uttar Pradesh for 292, giving Bengal a 19-run lead.
In Indore, Madhya Pradesh posted 425 for eight against Karnataka, led by Shubham Sharma’s unbeaten 143, Harpreet Singh’s 91, and Saransh Jain’s 51. In other matches, Kerala was bowled out for 179 in response to Punjab’s first-innings score of 194 in Thumba. Mayank Markande took six wickets for 59 runs, while Gurnur Brar chipped in with three for 18.
