Rashid Latif: “I told Babar Azam behind the scenes, don’t fight for [the] captaincy, don’t make the same mistakes as us”
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Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Rashid Latif has revealed that he told star batsman Babar Azam not to “fight for [the] captaincy”.
The 30-year-old has been Pakistan’s captain on two separate occasions, with his first tenure encompassing all three formats, while the second saw him take charge in white-ball cricket only.
Latif didn’t want Azam chasing after the leadership position as he didn’t want him making the same mistakes other cricketers have made.
“I told Babar Azam behind the scenes, don’t fight for [the] captaincy, don’t make the same mistakes as us,” he was quoted as saying by PakPassion on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Azam recently featured in Pakistan’s three-match ODI series against New Zealand and scored 129 runs, which included two fifties, at an average of 43.
He then captained the Peshawar Zalmi in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and amassed 288 runs in 10 matches, which included three fifties, at an average of 36 and a strike-rate of 128.57.
After PSL 10 ended, Pakistan faced Bangladesh in a three-match T20I series, but Azam was not included in the team.
The men in green went on to win the series 3-0.
Next up for Pakistan will be a tour of Bangladesh, where they will play three T20Is in Mirpur from July 20 to 24.
Pakistan Squad for Bangladesh T20I Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper) and Saim Ayub
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