Rashid Latif: “You forcibly made Babar resign. The team started disintegrating from there itself. It was you who made Shan the captain for your own benefit, to break the team. So your team is broken now”
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Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Rashid Latif has blasted ex-Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf, saying he forced Babar Azam to quit as captain and subsequently went on to “break the team”.
Azam resigned as skipper in all three formats in November 2023 before being reappointed as limited overs captain in March 2024.
However, the 29-year-old still hasn’t gotten back the Test captaincy, which Shan Masood continues to hold right now.
Touching on Masood’s appointment, Latif feels Ashraf did it for his own benefit.
“Whoever became the chairman in the last four years has demolished Pakistan cricket,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
“Who brought him (Shan Masood) as [Test] captain? Who removed Babar Azam [from captaincy]? Who divided the Pakistan team?
“When he (Zaka Ashraf) was doing everything, making [the] team and appointing captains, who is he blaming then – Babar? You forcibly made Babar resign. The team started disintegrating from there itself. It was you who made Shan the captain for your own benefit, to break the team. So your team is broken now.
“Those who did the damage and left, how will they be held accountable? Chairmanship should never be honorary. These guys are not audited. It should be written in the [PCB] Constitution that you (chairman) can’t appoint a captain, can’t form a selection committee. You have given the entire power into the hands of a chairman. They know nothing about cricket.”
Azam and Masood were both involved in Pakistan’s recent two-Test series against Bangladesh, with the former mustering 64 runs at an average of 16.
As for Masood, he scored 105 runs, which included a top score of 57, at an average of 26.25.
Pakistan were beaten 2-0 by Bangladesh and will now take on England in a three-match Test series, which is scheduled to be held from October 7 to 28.
Pakistan Squad for Bangladesh Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Shaheen Shah Afridi