‘He was not ready to accept changes’ – Former PCB chief selector Mohammad Wasim shares experience of working with Babar Azam

Babar Azam. (Source – Getty Images)

The former PCB chief selector, Mohammad Wasim, has claimed that Babar Azam wasn’t willing to accept changes to the side. Wasim noted that he had to put in extra effort to explain why some changes would be better for the team’s sake.

There have been allegations of favouritism on Babar in the past. However, most were overshadowed by the exceptional performances the right-handed batter consistently puts in for the Men in Green. However, Pakistan’s white-ball captain is going through a dry patch of late, especially in Test cricket, and the critics have been after him from all sides. He was already facing tremendous heat from the fans after registering scores of 0, 22, 31, and 11 in the ongoing two-match Test series between Pakistan and Bangladesh. Now, Wasim’s shocking remarks could just amplify the pressure on the 29-year-old.

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“It was painful to make him understand the advantages of changes. He was very stubborn, and I overstepped my limitations to get him on board with certain calls. He was not ready to accept changes,” Wasim said via Pakistan Cricket.

Wasim also revealed how he tried to remove a group of players who were detrimental to the team after consulting with four coaches. However, the team management brought them back into the side.

“I will not take names, but four coaches said that a group of players is cancer to the team. If they are part of the squad, Pakistan can’t win. I tried to remove them from the team, but the team management recalled them,” he recalled.

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Babar captained Pakistan for the first time in 2020 and took charge in all formats later in the year. While the team made the finals of the 2022 T20 World Cup under his leadership, the results on either side of the marquee event were nothing to write home about. After the Asian giants couldn’t qualify for the semi-finals of the 2023 ODI World Cup, the Lahore-born relinquished captaincy. He was reinstated in the white-ball formats ahead of the T20 World Cup earlier this year but a first-round exit once again raised questions on his captaincy acumen.