Imad Wasim: “Yes, I was surprised. What can I say, it’s ultimately the selectors’ call. Whatever they thought was the best option, they picked and they picked the team [accordingly]. Everybody in Pakistan was surprised, not just me”
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Pakistan left-arm spinner Imad Wasim has admitted he was surprised that Babar Azam was named limited overs captain back in March 2024.
Azam had previously stepped down as skipper in all three formats back in November 2023 before returning to take up the captaincy in white-ball cricket just a few months later.
The 29-year-old recently resigned as limited overs captain, but Imad conceded that “everybody in Pakistan” was surprised he was given the job in the first place.
“Yes, I was surprised. What can I say, it’s ultimately the selectors’ call. Whatever they thought was the best option, they picked and they picked the team [accordingly]. Everybody in Pakistan was surprised, not just me. So, I can’t say no that I was not surprised,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Azam recently represented Pakistan in their two-Test series against Bangladesh and made 64 runs at an average of 16.
He then played for the Stallions in the Champions One-Day Cup, which was a domestic 50-over competition that took place in Faisalabad.
In four games, he accumulated 230 runs, which included a century and a fifty, at an average of 76.66.
Azam is now involved in Pakistan’s three-Test series against England, which got underway on October 7 in Multan.
Pakistan Squad for 1st Test against England: Shan Masood (captain), Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Salman Ali Agha, Aamer Jamal, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed
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