WATCH- ‘This is shamelessness, you’re a dummy captain’- Rashid Latif slams Babar Azam for not standing up for mentor Sarfaraz Ahmed

Babar Azam took over from Shan Masood as Pakistan Test captain.

Former Pakistan cricketer and captain Rashid Latif has slammed Babar Azam for not showing spine and poor leadership skills after not standing up for his players after the Pakistan Cricket Board decided to send back seven of them and two coaches from England.

This decision came after Pakistan lost both of the first two Tests of the three-match series against England. Pakistan lost the first game in Leeds by an innings and 103 runs and the second game by 194 runs in the second game at Lord’s.

Players including Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, and Imam-ul-Haq were told to return to Pakistan on Monday night after the Mohsin Naqvi-led board was not pleased with the team's first two Test defeats.

Along with the seven players, head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were also not spared.

After what had transpired with the rest of his team and the coaching staff, Rashid Latif believed that Babar would have relinquished the captaincy if he truly had leadership abilities.

It is noteworthy that Babar replaced Shan Masood as Test skipper a few months ago following Bangladesh's victory over Pakistan in the two-match Test series.

“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.

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,” Latif said on Dr. Nauman Niaz’s YouTube show.  

Babar Azam hasn’t had a good outing with the bat as well. He missed the first Test due to a wrist injury, while making 8 and 6 in the second Test at Lord’s. Notably, he was all at sea against the extreme pace of Jofra Archer, and his ugly dismissal in the second innings against Archer’s short ball raised eyebrows everywhere.

The first Test ended in three days, while the second only went to four because rain played spoilsport on all the days. The third and final Test will be played in Leeds from September 9.