Umar Akmal: “Babar was captain for nearly five years most of the time in all formats and he never tried to build up the bench strength due to his likes and dislikes”
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Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal has accused Babar Azam of only picking players he liked during his tenure as captain.
He noted that the 30-year-old “never tried to build up the bench strength” as he continuously showed favouritism towards certain cricketers instead of giving others a chance.
Azam, who is no longer captain, recently represented Pakistan in their ODI tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa, and scored 62 runs in three matches at an average of 20.66.
He followed it up with 87 runs in two games in the 2025 Champions Trophy, which included a top score of 64, at an average of 43.50.
Afterwards, he took part in Pakistan’s ODI series against New Zealand and ended up making 129 runs in three matches, which included two fifties, at an average of 43.
“Babar was captain for nearly five years most of the time in all formats and he never tried to build up the bench strength due to his likes and dislikes,” Akmal was quoted as saying by NDTV.
Azam is now captaining the Peshawar Zalmi in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and has accumulated 178 runs in eight games, which included two half-centuries, at an average of 29.66 and a strike-rate of 109.87.
PSL 10 started on April 11 and will finish on May 18.
Peshawar Zalmi Squad for PSL 10:
- Platinum: Babar Azam (captain), Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore
- Diamond: Corbin Bosch, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Haris
- Gold: Abdul Samad, Hussain Talat, Nahid Rana
- Silver: Arif Yaqoob, Najibullah Zadran, Max Bryant, Mehran Mumtaz, Sufiyan Muqeem
- Emerging: Ali Raza, Maaz Sadaqat
- Supplementary: Ahmed Daniyal, Alzarri Joseph
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