Wasim Akram criticises Babar Azam’s captaincy after England tour upheaval

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram on September 20, 2026, publicly criticised Babar Azam’s leadership during Pakistan’s tour of England while speaking alongside Waqar Younis at a charity fundraising event in Manchester. Akram questioned why Babar accepted the Test captaincy and mocked the captain’s claim that he had been unaware of major squad and coaching changes.

Babar Azam returned to the Test captaincy on July 5, replacing Shan Masood, marking a comeback after previously leading Pakistan in Tests from 2020 to 2023. In his first stint he captained Pakistan in 20 Tests, winning 10, losing six and drawing four. Pakistan began Babar’s second tenure with a 1-1 draw in the West Indies before travelling to England, where Ben Stokes' side won at Headingley by an innings and 103 runs and then by 194 runs at Lord's.

After those two defeats the Pakistan Cricket Board sent seven players home and reshaped the coaching setup ahead of the third Test, and Babar was asked about those developments during the toss in Birmingham; he said the developments were news to him and directed questions towards the PCB. Akram took issue with that response, saying, "Babar Azam said he did not know. If you don't know, then what were you doing here? Were you here to sell chickpeas?"

Akram also raised concerns about the effect of perceived captaincy instability on player performance, telling the gathering, "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 added his view on how Babar should have handled the situation: "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."

Offering a specific course of action, Akram said, "My suggestion is that after the second Test, Babar should have said that he would play only as a player," and repeated his belief that stepping down from captaincy would have been preferable. The PCB changes had limited impact on results: England beat Pakistan by eight wickets at Edgbaston to complete a 3-0 series sweep.

England's series whitewash leaves Babar Azam's leadership under further scrutiny, following the mid-series player and coaching changes and Akram's public criticism at the Manchester event.