Former PCB chief selector Mohammad Wasim discusses his experience dealing with Babar Azam: “He was not ready to accept changes”

Babar Azam was allegedly unwilling to accept alterations to the side, according to former PCB chief selector Muhammad Wasim. Wasim said he had to work extra hard to justify why some adjustments would be beneficial to the team.

Allegations of partiality towards Babar have been made previously. Most, though, were eclipsed by the outstanding work that the right-hand hitter often does for the Men in Green. But critics have been coming at Pakistan’s white-ball captain from all angles since he has been having a hard patch lately, particularly in Test cricket. After scoring zero, twenty-two, thirty-one, and eleven in the current two-match.

Test series between Pakistan and Bangladesh, he was already receiving a lot of negative attention from the crowd. The pressure on the 29-year-old may now increase as a result of Wasim’s stunning comments.

“It was difficult to get him to see the benefits of the adjustments. I went above and beyond my bounds to win him over to certain calls because he was so obstinate. According to Pakistan Cricket, Wasim stated, “He was not prepared to accept changes.”

Wasim also talked about how, after talking with four coaches, he attempted to cut a few guys who weren’t good for the squad.

But they were re-added to the team by the management. “I won’t mention names, but four coaches claimed that a certain set of players is the team’s cancer. Pakistan cannot win if they are in the squad. He recalled, “I attempted to remove them from the team, but the team management called them back.”

2020 saw Babar lead Pakistan for the first time as captain, and later that year, he assumed command across all formats. He led the squad to the 2022 T20 World Cup finals, but the outcomes leading up to the main event were not very impressive.

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Following the Asian heavyweights’ failure to advance to the 2023 ODI World Cup semifinals, the Lahore-born player gave up the captaincy. A first-round exit prompted doubts about his captaincy skills once again, despite his reinstatement in the white-ball forms ahead of the T20 World Cup earlier this year.