'Tu chhole bechne aaya hai?': Wasim Akram rips into Babar Azam over England tour selection chaos

Wasim Akram has questioned Babar Azam amid the confusion surrounding Pakistan’s selection for the England tour. The former Pakistan captain criticised the situation and directed a sharp remark at Babar as debate over the team’s selections intensified.

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Pakistan cricket is in chaos right now. They just got swept 3-0 by England in the Test series with Babar Azam as captain. In the middle of all this, the PCB sent seven players home, fired head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul, and brought in Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke to take over. The timing was strange, and when Babar was asked about it at the toss during the final Test, he admitted he had no idea what was going on. That answer didn't sit well with Wasim Akram, who made his feelings pretty clear.

At a recent event, Wasim questioned how a captain could possibly be out of the loop like that. He said if the leader doesn’t support the team, the players won’t give everything for him.

“Babar Azam said he did not know. If you don’t know, then what were you doing here? Tu chhole bechne aaya hai? (Were you here to sell chickpeas)? 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 said.

Wasim Akram on Babar Azam captaincy: “I don’t want to blame anyone,I think Babar should never have taken the captaincy.After 2nd Test Babar should have said he would play only as a player. If your leader or captain doesn’t have your back, you can’t give 100%.”

Earlier in the year, the PCB had already surprised a lot of people by removing Shan Masood as Test captain—he’d been struggling for results—and bringing Babar Azam back into the job, even though he hadn’t held a regular place in the team for a while.

Wasim Akram didn’t hold back at the same event. He said Babar should never have accepted the captaincy, and after losing the second Test against England, he should have stepped down on his own.

“I do not want to blame anyone, and I could be wrong as well. 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," Wasim said.

Wasim’s comments aren’t the only criticism Babar Azam has faced lately. His former teammates Shoaib Akhtar and Rashid Latif have both called out his leadership. Akhtar went after his personality, saying it affects his decisions and performance.

"Babar's personality is visible in his captaincy, decision-making, and his game, which is why he is now struggling badly. He is unable to make the right calls. Had it been me, everyone knows what would have happened. That is a very simple thing," Shoaib Akhtar said on PTV Sports.

Rashid Latif was even more direct, saying Babar should have quit as soon as half the team was sent home. He called Babar a “dummy” captain.

"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. Your coach has been sidelined, and you are sitting quietly. It shows PCB always needs a dummy captain. He has left his players alone. You should not let people use you, or have the courage to kick away the captaincy and walk out," Rashid Latif said in a video on his YouTube channel.

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