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Mohammad Wasim (left) and Babar Azam. (Picture Credit: AFP, AP)
Former Pakistan cricketer and chief selector Mohammad Wasim has slammed Babar Azam by calling him stubborn and saying that he was not ready to accept changes.
Former Pakistan men’s cricket team chief selector Mohammad Wasim has slammed star Pakistani batter and former all-format captain Babar Azam by calling him stubborn and saying he was not ready to accept changes.
While talking to reporters in Pakistan, Wasim said he faced difficulties while dealing with Babar during his time as chief selector. “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,” Wasim said.
The former cricketer also said that he tried to remove some cricketers from the Pakistani cricket team who were disturbing the dressing room atmosphere, but they were again brought back to the set-up by the team management.
“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,” he said.
Wasim also revealed the reason behind dropping star all-rounder Imad Wasim from the team and said he was axed to work on his fitness.
“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,” he said.
Imad was out of the Pakistani team for a couple of years, and in November 2023 he announced his retirement from all formats of the game. However, after playing a big role for Islamabad United in the PSL 2024 title win, he took a U-turn and made himself available to play for Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2024.
He was picked in the Babar Azam-led side for the shortest format megaevent in the West Indies and USA in June 2024 but failed to help his side win the tournament, and in fact, for the first time in history, Pakistan suffered an exit from the first round itself.
