"He was very stubborn" - Former Pakistan chief selector claims Babar Azam was resistant to changes in the team
Former Pakistan men's team's chief selector Mohammad Wasim has claimed that former captain Babar Azam used to resist changes in the team. The ex-cricketer added that he had to make plenty of efforts to convince the right-hander, who held a stubborn attitude.
Babar was appointed captain for the first time in 2020 and assumed the leadership role across formats by the end of that year. Pakistan's constant struggles meant he stepped down after the 2023 World Cup. However, he was reinstated for the shortest format ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024.
Speaking to a local sports platform, Wasim said (via Cricket Pakistan):
"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."
The 46-year-old also mentioned four coaches warning about a few players being detrimental to the side's progress, saying:
"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."
Babar's second stint as captain didn't prove fruitful either, as Pakistan failed to go beyond the group stage of the T20 World Cup 2024. They even lost to the USA. The former skipper scored 122 runs in four matches at 40.66.
"Imad has a knee injury, but he has been hiding it for years" - Mohammad Wasim
The ex-chief selector said he had left out Imad Wasim to allow him to work on his fitness levels and that the all-rounder had been concealing an injury for years.
"Imad has a knee injury, but he has been hiding it for years. We always speak about Azam Khan’s fitness levels, but Imad is also suffering from the same problem. He was dropped from the side for that same reason, and I also dropped him during my tenure so that he could work on his fitness," Mohammad Wasim said in the same interview.
Imad had earlier announced his retirement but withdrew it ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024 after his productive performance in PSL 2024.