Pakistan’s Test tour of England ended in a difficult manner as the visitors suffered a 3-0 series defeat between August 19 and September 13. The tour became increasingly complicated after the second Test at Lord’s, with major changes made to the coaching staff and squad before the final match. Babar Azam, who had returned to the Test captaincy shortly before the tour, also came under criticism for his handling of the situation.
Wasim Akram questions Babar Azam’s captaincy decision
Former Pakistan fast bowler Wasim Akram has strongly questioned Babar’s decision to take over as Test captain in July 2026. Babar was appointed to replace Shan Masood ahead of Pakistan’s tours of the West Indies and England. Akram’s criticism came after Babar revealed that he was unaware of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s major changes before the third Test in Birmingham. Following the second Test at Lord’s, the PCB removed head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul while also dropping seven players from the squad. Akram felt Babar should not have accepted the captaincy in the first place.
“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,” Akram said as quoted by GeoNews.
The former Pakistan pacer also questioned how Babar could remain in charge when he was unaware of such significant changes within the team.
Babar struggles with bat and leadership
Babar’s England campaign also proved disappointing from a personal perspective. The former Pakistan captain managed only 97 runs across four innings during the Test series and was unable to make a substantial impact with the bat. Akram was particularly critical of Babar’s leadership during the final two Tests, suggesting that the captain failed to lead from the front when Pakistan found itself under pressure. He also highlighted the importance of a captain standing alongside his players during difficult periods.
“Babar Azam said he did not know. If you don’t know, then what were you doing here? 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,” added Akram.
Pakistan’s struggles ultimately continued through the third Test at Birmingham, with England completing a 3-0 series sweep.
Babar should have stepped down: Akram
Akram believes Babar had an opportunity to change the situation after Pakistan lost the second Test at Lord’s. Rather than continuing as captain for the final match, the former pacer felt Babar should have voluntarily stepped away from the leadership role and played solely as a batter.
Akram argued that Babar should have informed the team that he would participate in the third Test only as a player. In his view, such a decision would have separated Babar’s responsibilities as a player from the wider leadership issues surrounding the Pakistan side.
“My suggestion is that after the second Test, Babar should have said that he would play only as a player,” Akram added further.
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