Former England cricketer Michael Atherton has said it is questionable how much authority Babar Azam or any Pakistan captain has within the management, adding that although they don’t run the show entirely, they need some control over team decisions.
Pakistan suffered losses in the opening two Tests before responding with a major shake-up, sending seven players home. Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha and Imam-ul-Haq were among those dropped, while coaches Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul were also asked to leave.
The scale of the changes has put Babar under increasing scrutiny. Former Pakistan skipper Rashid Latif had already called for the former to resign after seven players were sent home, while also labelling him a ‘dummy captain’.
“Not in this instance,
no, because of the damage it will do longer term. This is no way to manage players and no way to build a long-term vision at all. I feel it is 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?” Atherton questioned while speaking on Sky Sports.
“One understands that the captain isn’t all-powerful these days; you aren’t going back 30 years ago when they perhaps ran the show, but they have to have some authority within a team,” Atherton added.
New Zealander Mike Hesson was already Pakistan’s white-ball chief and, with Australian Ashley Noffke, will take charge for the rest of the tour.
Opener Imam-ul-Haq suffered a low-grade calf tear at Lord’s, but received criticism for not batting in either innings.
Experienced wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, spinner Ali Usman and pacer Khurram Shahzad featured in both games. Salman Ali Agha led Pakistan in the loss at Headingley before regular captain Babar returned from injury at Lord’s, but all three of the above were sent home.
