Wasim Akram: “Babar Azam’s captaincy is under criticism these days”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Legendary Pakistan left-arm seamer Wasim Akram admitted that captain Babar Azam is facing a lot of criticism at the moment.
Much of the condemnation as of late stems from the national team’s poor performance during their home season, where they faced England and New Zealand.
Pakistan were whitewashed 3-0 in their Test series against England, while the two Tests they played against New Zealand both ended as a draw. As for the three-match ODI series that followed, the men in green were beaten 2-1.
The dismal results led to a surge in rumours about a potential split in captaincy, whereby Azam would no longer lead the national team in all three formats.
“Babar Azam’s captaincy is under criticism these days,” Wasim told Cricket Pakistan.
Recently, Azam captained the Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he was the second-highest run-scorer with 522 runs in 11 matches, which included a century and five fifties, at an average of 52.20 and a strike-rate of 145.40.
In their latest assignment, Pakistan were beaten 2-1 in the three T20Is they played against Afghanistan in Sharjah, but Azam was rested for the series.
The men in green will now face New Zealand in five T20Is and five ODIs on home soil in April and May.