'Dummy Captain' Babar Azam Shown No Mercy By Ex-Pakistan Star: "Should Have Resigned"
Babar Azam has been accused of failing to stand up for his players and coaching staff following the Test series loss to England last week.
Former cricketer Rashid Latif has slammed Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, accusing him of failing to stand up for his players and coaching staff following the Test series loss to England last week. Following the 194-run defeat in the Lord's Test, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that it had released seven players and several members of the support staff, including head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed, ahead of the third and final Test in Birmingham later this week. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Latif suggested that Babar should have resigned in solidarity with the players and coaches who have been made scapegoats by the PCB.
"Babar should have resigned here. Half of the team has been sent back home. If I were in his place, I would have given up the captaincy. You have become a dummy captain. There's a difference between a leader and a captain," said Latif.
Latif also suggested that Babar is the PCB's "dummy captain" who will never take a stand for his team.
"You have sent seven players back. Imam, I understand, was injured. But still, you are sending six players back. You sent back your coach, your mentor. The coach who won the Champions Trophy. You sent Umar Gul back. You aren't standing up for your team. Your coach has been sidelined, and you are sitting quietly. It shows that the PCB always needs a dummy captain," he added.
Earlier in the day, Misbah-ul-Haq reportedly offered his resignation as selector of Pakistan's men's selection committee after the PCB made sweeping changes to the squad for the ongoing three-match Test series against England.
Misbah was part of the four-member selection committee, which also includes Aaqib Javed, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Asad Shafiq and was formed in March earlier this year.
However, according to a Cricinfo report, the former Pakistan captain has offered to resign from the selection panel. The PCB has yet to accept his resignation, although Misbah has also reportedly resigned from his role as batting consultant at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.
(With IANS Inputs)
Pakistan Cricket Team
Babar Azam