New Delhi: England Test captain Ben Stokes had a hilarious response to Pakistan’s latest selection call, which has been doing the rounds across the globe. On Sunday, the newly appointed selection committee of Pakistan took the bold call to drop key players from the squad for the second and third Test against England after suffering a heavy defeat in the series opener in Multan.
Despite scoring 556 runs in the first innings of the Multan Test, Pakistan suffered to an innings and 47 runs defeat, which made the Shan Masood-led side as the first team in the history to lose by an innings after scoring over 500 runs in the first innings.
As a result, the selection panel comprising former players Aaqib Javed and Azhar Ali along with former umpire Aleem Dar decided to drop big names from the squad. The major changes include star batter Babar Azam, frontline pacers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, and former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, who wasn’t part of the playing XI in the first Test. However, the selectors mentioned that they have rested the players for the remainder part of the series keeping in mind the busy season for the rest of the year.
“Selecting the squad for the upcoming Tests against England has been a challenging task for the selectors. We’ve had to carefully consider current player form, the urgency to bounce back in the series and Pakistan’s demanding 2024-25 international schedule,” Aaqib was quoted as saying in a PCB media release.
“With these factors in mind and in the best interest of Pakistan cricket as well as the players, we’ve made the decision to rest Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shaheen Shah Afridi,” he added.
When Ben Stokes was asked to react to Pakistan’s recent selection conundrum in the press conference on the eve of the second Test. The England captain said:
“Everything on that. That’s Pakistan’s cricket issue. Nothing to do with me.”
Watch the video:
Sweetly done, Ben Stokes 🎯#PAKvENG
— Ameer Hamza Asif (@AmeerHamzaAsif) October 14, 2024
Ben Stokes to return to England playing XI
Stokes missed the first Test because of not being match-time fit owing to a torn hamstring sustained in August, which also forced him out of the third Test against Sri Lanka at The Oval. The star all-rounder will return to lead the side in Multan. He will aim to eye a consecutive series win after scripting a 3-0 whitewash in 2022 in Pakistan.
Ben Stokes reacted to Pakistan making four changes in their playing XI for the second Test in Multan. Star players Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah have been rested for the remaining part of the Test series. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today