Former Pakistani cricketer Basit Ali urged the Pakistan Cricket Board to rest Babar Azam ahead of Pakistan's second Test clash against West Indies starting on January 25. The host nation went on to register a crushing win by a margin of 127 runs but the star Pakistani batter endured a lean patch scoring just eight and five on a difficult Multan surface. With the Champions Trophy lined up around the corner, Pakistan have a lot to play for and the 50-year-old feels that Babar should be kept fresh so that he can hit the ground running during the marquee event.

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Basit advises PCB to rest Babar in the ongoing West Indies Test series

With South Africa and Australia booking their spots for the World Championship Finale, the ongoing two-match Test series between Pakistan and West Indies is nothing but a dead rubber. Pakistan has remotely no chance of making it to the top summit and Basit finds the ploy to play Babar in this dead rubber baffling.

“Pakistan is ruining Babar’s confidence when he has found his rhythm. Pakistan are not going to qualify for the final of the WTC and Babar should be rested. If you want to keep him in the Playing XI, prepare good tracks.” 

Babar Azam previously found some form in the recently concluded Test series with South Africa where he showcased promising signs of returning to his fluent best. Basit does not want Babar's regained form to recede and also wants the PCB to prepare good batting tracks for him should they decide to persist with him.

Basit also advises rest for Rizwan 

Apart from Babar, Basit also advises Pakistan's white-ball skipper Mohammed Rizwan to rest for the remainder of the Test series. Rizwan has been a class act for Pakistan in the white-ball format. The crafty wicket-keeper batsman has been amongst the runs of late and has been immensely revered by the cricketing fraternity in Pakistan for his marvelous achievements ever since he assumed the captaincy role in October last year.

“Not only Babar but Mohammad Rizwan should also be rested before the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. If the pitch is similar to the first Test, their confidence will go down. Babar struggled in the first Test. He found his lost form in South Africa and scored runs in ODIs and Tests.”