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Babar Azam, Shaheen...? 3 Pakistan Players Who Will Be Under Scrutiny In England Tests

Babar Azam last scored a Test fifty in December 2022 (x.com)Babar Azam last scored a Test fifty in December 2022 (x.com)

Pakistan’s cricketing voyage appears to be navigating through one of its most tumultuous storms in recent memory. Just as they were beginning to recover from the shock of their early T20 World Cup exit, Pakistan suffered a crushing 0-2 series loss to Bangladesh – on home soil, no less.

The series defeat to Bangladesh triggered widespread criticism from all quarters. The twin losses marked Pakistan’s fifth consecutive Test defeat and their fourth successive home series without recording a single Test win, compounded by the frustration of early exits in two different cricket World Cups (2023 and 2024) during the same period.

Moreover, the escalating tensions between the PCB and senior players over participation in franchise leagues continue to intensify, with the board's newly enforced restrictions on player NOCs further widening the rift.

Amidst the turmoil, the Pakistan team now stands on the precipice of redemption as they prepare to host serial ‘BazBallers’ England for a fresh Test assignment. In what feels almost poetic, the choice of opponents could not be more fitting. It was, after all, a Ben Stokes-led English side that ignited the current crisis with a 3-0 hammering of Pakistan on home soil back in December 2022.

The series will place several underperforming Pakistan players under the intense supervision of PCB officials and fans alike, as they continue to struggle to justify their stardom. At OneCricket, we highlight three cricketers who are likely to face some intense scrutiny throughout the series.

3 Pakistan players to fall under scrutiny in ENG series:


1. Shaheen Afridi

Tall and lanky, express pace and fearsome seam movement: Shaheen Afridi radiates his presence with the new-ball like few others. However, the prodigious fast-bowling talent has struggled to replicate his early charisma, and his form dipped to the point where he was even ‘rested’ from a home Test match against Bangladesh earlier this month.

Having made his Test debut in 2018, Shaheen Afridi picked up 47 of his 115 career wickets in just nine matches during 2021 alone. However, in the nine matches since then, the paceman has taken just 29 wickets at a bowling average of 36.55, a stark contrast to his impressive career average of 27.08. In a bid to justify his spot in the national XI, Shaheen will be hoping to silence some rampaging ‘BazBallers’ in home conditions this October.


2. Babar Azam

A veteran of 54 Test caps, legendary Pakistan batter Babar Azam has notched up nine hundreds and 26 half-centuries in his illustrious career so far. However, the modern-day batting legend recorded the last of those 35 fifty-plus scores back in December 2022 on a flat hotbed of Karachi’s National Stadium against New Zealand.

In the 16 Test innings since, the former Pakistan captain has accumulated just 331 runs at an abysmal average of 20.68. He completed two full tours to Sri Lanka and Australia without notching up a single fifty, and recently spent a home series against Bangladesh by harvesting mere 64 runs from four innings.

As some experts might say, Babar Azam is one bad series away from complete upheaval, with his place in the side and a potential return to national captaincy both hanging by a thread.


3. Abdullah Shafique

Young Pakistan top-order batter Abdullah Shafique has illuminated his 19-match Test career so far with four centuries and five half-centuries. However, much like his senior teammate Babar Azam, Shafique’s batting form has been plagued by surreal inconsistencies over the past couple of seasons. Ever since he struck a series-sealing 201 against Sri Lanka in Colombo in July 2023, the top-order star has made just one half-century at the MCG, and followed it up with successive ducks to Mitchell Starc in Sydney earlier this year.

Moreover, even his 201 was preceded by 11 successive listless Test scores, most of them on batting-friendly home conditions no less. Abdullah Shafique also managed just 42 runs in the recent two Tests against Bangladesh, which included 37 in the first innings of the series opener in Rawalpindi. Needless to say, the 24-year-old needs some big runs against England if he hopes to prolong his Test career.