Saeed Ajmal slams PCB over Babar Azam’s snub from New Zealand T20Is

KARACHI: Former Test cricketer Saeed Ajmal lambasted the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision to exclude star batter Babar Azam from the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand, scheduled to commence on Sunday.

Former captain Babar has been under stiff scrutiny due to his recent below-par performances across formats and in the ongoing ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, where he could score just 87 runs in two innings at an average of 43.50.

His recent below-par performances drew scathing criticism from cricket fans and former Pakistan cricketers.

The star batter was consequently dropped from the squad for the upcoming five-match away T20I series against New Zealand – a decision strongly opposed by Ajmal, who warned the PCB for ‘degrading’ the star batter and also told former cricketers to keep their mouths shut.

“(You have only one star). If you degrade him also, then how will your cricket run? These are the big issues. Our former cricketers should keep their mouths shut,” Ajmal said during an interview with an Indian sports magazine.

The former top-ranked bowler continued his defence of Babar by citing the example of India’s batting great Sachin Tendulkar, stating that even the latter could not score in every match.

“As a cricketer, one must realise that bad patches are part of a player’s career. You can’t play cricket the same way all your life. Even if you were Tendulkar, you couldn’t score 100 in every match,” he explained.

Ajmal believes that instead of dropping white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan and Babar, the PCB should have discussed their performances with them and managed their respective workloads to ensure a stronger comeback.

“The way you’ve removed them is wrong. It’s not like they are the only ones who haven’t scored,” said Ajmal.

“Ideally, the selectors should sit with Babar and discuss his workload, so he can come back stronger,” he added.

Saeed Ajmal also coined India’s batting stalwart Virat Kohli’s example to dismiss the concerns regarding the strike rates of Babar Azam and Rizwan.

“Come on, what aggression are we talking about? If they are your proven matchwinners, you don’t need aggression. Even legends like Virat often pace their innings before attacking—that’s his style,” Ajmal concluded.