Pakistan great Wasim Akram has questioned Babar Azam’s leadership during Pakistan’s disappointing Test tour of England, where the visitors suffered a 3-0 series defeat following a major squad overhaul midway through the series. Akram took particular issue with Babar’s claim that he was unaware of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s decision to remove coaches Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul, while also dropping seven players from the squad.

Babar had said, “It was news to me too,” while directing questions about the changes towards the PCB. Speaking at a charity event on Sunday, Akram responded sarcastically to Babar’s comments and questioned how the captain could be unaware of such a major decision involving his team.

“Babar Azam said he did not know. If you don’t know, then what were you doing here? Were you here to sell chickpeas?” Wasim Akram said. The former Pakistan captain also stressed the importance of a strong relationship between a team leader and the players. According to Akram, a captain needs to stand behind his teammates if they are expected to perform at their best.

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“As a player or as a person, I believe that if your leader or captain does not stand by you, you cannot give 100 per cent,” he added.

Akram also questioned Babar’s decision to accept the Test captaincy after being asked by the PCB to replace Shan Masood. He suggested that Babar should either have declined the leadership role initially or stepped down after Pakistan suffered their second defeat.

“I do not want to blame anyone, and I could be wrong as well,” Akram said. “But in my opinion, Babar should not have taken the captaincy. All of this was unnecessary. My suggestion is that after the second Test, Babar should have said that he would play only as a player,” he added.

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Babar has faced increasing criticism following Pakistan’s results in England, with former cricketers offering different assessments of his leadership. Shoaib Akhtar previously questioned his personality as a leader, while Rashid Latif also criticised his captaincy. The England series has therefore intensified the debate surrounding Babar’s role and Pakistan’s leadership structure.