Pakistan’s former cricket captain and leading batter Babar Azam has been excluded from the hosts’ Test squad after a poor run of form and will not be considered for the second and third Test matches against England.

Babar, who was Pakistan’s all-format captain until November, will be joined on the sidelines by leading pace bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement on Sunday.

“We have made the decision to rest Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shaheen Shah Afridi [from the Test squad]”, selector Aqib Javed said while announcing the squad.

Javed, a former Pakistan fast bowler himself, said the call to drop the star players was taken on the basis of “current form and fitness”, as well as in consideration of Pakistan’s upcoming cricket tours.

Leg-spin bowler Abrar Ahmed, who is recovering from dengue fever and missed part of the first Test, was declared unavailable for selection.

Uncapped players Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, and Kamran Ghulam have been included in the 16-man squad for the second Multan Test.

Fast bowler Mohammad Ali and off-spinner Sajid Khan are also part of the squad.

It’s Babar’s exclusion that comes as the biggest shock to Pakistan cricket followers, as the last time he was left out of the Pakistan Test squad was in December 2020.

Babar has been struggling with his batting form of late and has not scored a Test fifty in his last 18 innings. His highest Test score in 2024 was 31, in the second Test against Bangladesh in September.

The selectors said the move could help the players rest and rejuvenate.

“We are confident that this break from international cricket will help these players, especially Babar Azam, regain their confidence,” he said.

“They remain some of our finest talents with much more to contribute to Pakistan cricket.”

Since making his Test debut against the West Indies in Dubai in 2016, Babar has missed only five Tests, two in his first series, one against England at Leeds in 2018 and two in New Zealand in 2020.

After Pakistan’s defeat, skipper Shan Masood and head coach Jason Gillespie backed Babar, saying he just needed time to regain his form.

The right-handed batter was once the International Cricket Council’s top-ranked batsman in all three formats and is still number one in the one-day international rankings.

Since the start of 2023 his form has nosedived. He averaged under 21 in his last nine Tests, scoring just 126 in six innings in Australia and 64 in the two home Tests against Bangladesh last month.

The axe fell on Babar, Shaheen and Naseem two days after the PCB reconstituted their selection panel bringing in former pace bowler Javed and Azhar Ali along with the incumbent Asad Shafiq.

In a rare move the PCB also included former elite panel umpire Aleem Dar.

The second Test will begin in Multan on Tuesday, while the final match of the series will played in Rawalpindi from October 24.

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