"Were You There To Sell Chickpeas?" Pakistan Great Slams Babar Azam's Captaincy During England Tour

Babar Azam dismissed by Josh Tongue during England vs Pakistan Test series.© Getty

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram lashed out at Babar Azam while referring to the England tour. The Pakistan cricket team suffered a 3-0 whitewash at the hands of the Three Lions in the controversial outing. After the touring side lost the first two matches, a massive overhaul in the team took place. Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed, bowling coach Umar Gul, and a total of seven players, including seniors Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq, were flown back to Pakistan, with replacements taking their positions.

"I do not want to blame anyone, and I could be wrong as well. But in my opinion, Babar should not have taken the captaincy. All of this was unnecessary," said Akram at an event, as quoted by Geo News.

Interestingly, when Babar was asked about the huge shake-up ahead of the third Test, he surprisingly revealed that it was "news to him" as he was not aware of the changes.

Akram questioned Babar's role as Test skipper if he was so unaware of such massive shake-ups.

"Babar Azam said he did not know. If you don't know, then what were you doing here? Were you here to sell chickpeas?" the Pakistan pacer great said.

"As a player or as a person, I believe that if your leader or captain does not stand by you, you cannot give 100 per cent," he added.

Akram said that Babar should have relinquished the captaincy after the second Test and played the final Test as a player.

"My suggestion is that after the second Test, Babar should have said that he would play only as a player," he added.

Babar was appointed as Test captain in July, replacing Shan Masood, ahead of tours to the West Indies and England. In his previous stint from 2020-23, he captained Pakistan in 20 Tests, winning 10, losing six, and drawing four.

After his return to leadership, Pakistan drew 1-1 in the West Indies, with Babar winning the 'Player of the Series' award with two fifties and a total of 193 runs.

But what happened in England after that has put Babar's captaincy, as well as the team's performance, under massive scrutiny.

(With agency inputs)

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