Wasim Akram Questions Babar Azam’s Return as Pakistan Test Captain
MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM — WEB DESK: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has questioned Babar Azam’s decision to return as the national Test team’s captain, saying the star batter should instead have continued playing without taking on the leadership role.
Akram made the comments during a charity fundraising event in Manchester, where he appeared alongside former Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis. His remarks came after Pakistan’s difficult Test series in England and significant changes to the team setup.
Akram said his comments represented his personal assessment and acknowledged that he could be wrong. However, he argued that Babar should not have accepted the captaincy again and described the situation surrounding his return to leadership as unnecessary.
The former Pakistan captain was particularly critical when asked about reports that Babar was unaware of major changes made to the team before the third Test against England.
According to Express Urdu, seven players and a coach were changed ahead of the match. Akram questioned how a captain could be unaware of significant decisions affecting his team.
Akram also stressed the importance of a captain supporting his players. In his view, players may struggle to perform at their best if they do not feel backed by the team leader.
He argued that after the developments following the second Test, Babar could have stepped down from the captaincy and told the Pakistan Cricket Board that he wanted to remain with the national side solely as a player.
The criticism comes after a difficult tour for Pakistan. England completed a 3-0 Test series victory, while Pakistan also faced World Test Championship sanctions following the third Test. The International Cricket Council deducted 11 WTC points from Pakistan for a slow over rate and imposed a 50% match-fee fine. Babar accepted the proposed sanction as captain.
Babar’s individual form has also remained under scrutiny. Following the England series, he requested an opportunity to play domestic first-class cricket and joined OGDCL as a guest player in the President’s Trophy Grade-I tournament. Express reported that he has not scored a Test century since his 161 against New Zealand in Karachi in December 2022.
Despite Pakistan’s series defeat, Babar moved two places to 13th in the Test batting rankings after scoring 76 in the second innings of the final Test at Edgbaston.
Akram’s comments represent his assessment of Babar’s leadership decision rather than an official Pakistan Cricket Board position. No indication in the reports reviewed suggests that the PCB has announced another change to the Test captaincy.
