Pakistan’s white-ball format specialist Fakhar Zaman has come out in support of struggling Babar Azam. He has warned the Pakistan Cricket Board of serious consequences if Babar is dropped for the second Test match against England.

According to reports, the new selection committee of the men’s team has decided to leave out the former Test captain after his below-par performances.

The decision makers have informed Mohsin Naqvi about their decision. The PCB chairman is convinced with their call. Azam hasn’t scored a fifty in nine Tests and he is completely out of touch. After his failures in the two-Test series against Bangladesh, Babar had another ordinary outing against England in Multan.

He amassed 30 and 5 in opening game on a batting friendly wicket. England defeated the Men in Green by an innings and 47 runs in the three-match red-ball series. Jason Gillespie and Shan Masood are also associated with the selection panel but they were not present during in the meeting, which was called up to pick the squad for the second match against English team.

Masood and Gillespie want Babar to continue playing in Test cricket but the majority was against it.

Fakhar, who has played under Babar’s captaincy, is miffed with the selectors. He gave Virat Kohli’s example, who was supported by national team and the BCCI during his struggling days.

“It’s concerning to hear suggestions about dropping Babar Azam. India didn’t bench Virat Kohli during his rough stretch between 2020 and 2023, when he averaged 19.33, 28.21, and 26.50, respectively.

“If we are considering sidelining our premier batsman, arguably the best Pakistan has ever produced, it could send a deeply negative message across the team. There is still time to avoid pressing the panic button; we should focus on safeguarding our key players rather than undermining them,” Fakhar Zaman wrote on X.