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'No Superstar In This Team' - Ramiz Raja Worried About Sponsorships After Babar Azam's Ouster

Ramiz Raja and Babar Azam- (Source: @BabarFanClub/X.com)Ramiz Raja and Babar Azam- (Source: @BabarFanClub/X.com)

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) took a bold call after an embarrassing loss in the first Test against England and dropped star players Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Naseem Shah from the squad for the 2nd and 3rd Test. 

The decision to drop Babar started a discussion on social media platforms as a section of fans, including cricket pundits, welcomed the move while others criticised it. 

Ramiz Raja Expresses Concerns Over Dropping Babar Azam

In the latest events, former PCB chairman Ramiz Raja too joined the bandwagon and slammed the selectors for dropping Azam. Raja labelled the decision as a knee-jerk reaction from selectors. 

Raja also pointed out that Babar brings viewership, and the board benefits from the sponsorship deals come through because of Babar's popularity. Ramiz stated that there is no real superstar in the current team, and he fears about losing viewership.

"Now we need to understand that he sells cricket for Pakistan and this debate that's happening right now in Pakistan whether there's going to be another failure for Babar Azam or whether he's going to make a comeback, and that keeps things interesting. Right now, I don't see any saleable commodity in the Pakistan team because sponsors are a little wary as well. After all, Pakistan has been on a losing sequence, and there are no real superstars playing in this Test match now," remarked Raja speaking to SkyCricket.

Further, he slammed the selector and management who termed Babar's exclusion as giving him rest. 

"It should have been Babar's call whether he wanted time out from the playing XI or not. I think it was a knee-jerk reaction, new selectors in, the general opinion was that he needed rest, and he was taken out of the squad completely," he added.

Talking about the match, the decision to replace Babar with Kamran Ghulam has worked brilliantly for the PCB, as the left-hand batter is batting on 75 (145) after tea on day 1, as Pakistan post 173/3 on the board.