Former England captain Michael Atherton questioned Babar Azam, and more importantly, the authority cricket captains are given in Pakistan after the PCB decided to replace seven players in the Test squad for the ongoing series against the Three Lions. After losses in the opening two Tests, the PCB sent seven players back home, including Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha and Imam-ul-Haq. Moreover, two coaches, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul, met the same fate, and Mike Hesson would now be in charge for the third and final Test in Edgbaston.
Babar has been in the line of fire ever since the PCB made the decision official. Earlier, former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif had stated that the 31-year-old should have resigned as soon as seven players were given the marching orders. Latif went all out, labelling Babar a “dummy captain.”
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Atherton has now jumped in, saying nothing will change for Pakistan cricket, even if they somehow manage to defeat England in the third and final Test, which begins on September 9.
“Not in this instance, no, because of the damage it will do in the long term. This is no way to manage players and no way to build a long-term vision at all,” Atherton said on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast.
“I feel it’s a horrible position for a captain, Babar Azam, to be in – and what kind of authority does he or indeed any captain of Pakistan have in this outfit?” he added.
‘How do you lead?’
The former England captain further asked how Babar will lead the team going forward, knowing what transpired. He added that he agrees that captains are not as powerful as back in the day, but still, they have some say in what goes around the team.
“One understands that the captain is not all-powerful these days, you’re not going back 30 years ago when they perhaps ran the show, but they have to have some authority within a team,” said Atherton.
“Given what’s happened, how do you lead that team now?” he added.
Babar reclaimed the Test captaincy from Shan Masood earlier this year after Bangladesh defeated Pakistan in the two-match series. Under Babar, Pakistan drew the series against the West Indies before coming to England.
The right-hander didn’t play the series opener against England due to an injury but came back into the lineup for the next Test at Lord’s, where he returned with scores of 8 and 6.