He sells cricket for Pakistan: Ramiz Raja slams PCB's decision to rest Babar Azam

Talking on the issue, Ramiz Raja opined that he sees absolutely no reason in the Selection Committee's decision to rest Babar.

Calling the move a "knee-jerk reaction," the former captain said "The general opinion was that he (Babar) needed rest and he was taken out of the squad completely."

"There is nothing sellable in that Pakistan lineup for the second Test (against England), which could be a problem on sponsorship," Ramiz Raja said and added "We need to understand that he sells cricket for Pakistan. There's always this debate that is happening, whether there's going to be another failure or he's going to come back. And that keeps things interesting."

Earlier, Fakhar Zaman too expressed concerns on the move and drew comparisons with Virat Kohli's selection. "India didn't bench Virat Kohli during his rough stretch between 2020-23," he wrote in a social media post.

However, showing absolute sportsmanship Babar Azam congratulated debutant Kamran Ghulam, who was his replacement in the team for his brilliant knock of 118 against England.