Picture Credit: X
After Babar Azam was dropped from the Pakistan cricket team for the second and third Test of the series against England, his teammate Fakhar Zaman spoke about how the selectors shouldn’t have left him out, comparing his situation with Indian stalwart Virat Kohli. Shortly after, Brad Hogg, the former Australian cricketer, took an indirect dig at Fakhar Zaman, saying that comparing the “bad form” of Babar Azam and Virat Kohli is “baseless.”
Notably, the Pakistan selection committee took a major decision to leave out three of their top cricketers from the Test squad for the final two matches of the series against England. Apart from Babar Azam, the fast-bowling duo of Shaheen Afridi and Naseen Shah were also removed from the team after they lost the first Test in Multan by an inning and 47 runs after conceding 823/7 declared in the first innings to the English batters.
Comparing bad form of Babar & Kohli is baseless: Brad Hogg
In taking to his X account, Brad Hogg gave comparative stats of India and Pakistan in Test cricket during the time Virat Kohli and Babar Azam were out of form for their respective teams. He wrote, “Comparing bad form between Babar Azam & Kohli after rumours the Pakistan legend will be dropped for the 2nd test v England is baseless. India: 2nd best win % during Kohli's drought. Pakistan: 2nd worst win % through Babar's. Hard decisions need to be made!”
According to Brad Hogg, the poor results from Pakistan in Test cricket, coinciding with Babar Azam’s bad run of form, is quite different from Virat Kohli’s indifferent form, which didn’t hinder India’s progress in Test cricket. The comments from the Australian unorthodox wrist spinner were also looked upon as an indirect dig at Fakhar Zaman, who had earlier spoken about the low scores of Virat Kohli and Babar Azam without considering their team’s form.
India didn't bench Virat Kohli: Fakhar Zaman on Babar Azam's omission
“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 earlier on the social media platform X.
With Babar Azam out of the Pakistan Test team, it will be very interesting to see how he approaches the tough stage of his cricketing career, and whether he will be able to make a comeback down the road.
