Babar Azam’s stubbornness exposed as ex-selector shares 'painful' working experience

Ex-Pakistan chief selector Mohammad Wasim has made a shocking revelation on Babar Azam. Wasim claimed that Babar was "very stubborn" and not ready to accept changes on certain occasions.

Mohammad Wasim served as Pakistan men's chief selector from December 2020 to December 2022. During that tenure, Babar Azam was Pakistan's captain in all three formats of the game. As a result, Wasim has a good enough experience of working alongside the star Pakistan batter.

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Mohammad Wasim makes a shocking revelation on Babar Azam's "stubborn" nature

During an interview with a local sports platform, Mohammad Wasim shockingly revealed that it was painful to make Babar Azam understand about the advantages of changes in the team. He further called Babar Azam "very stubborn" and someone who did not accept changes.

“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 was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.

Babar Azam is currently going through the worst time in his cricket career. He had a poor Test series against Bangladesh recently where he scored 64 runs in four innings at an average of 16. He hasn't scored a fifty-plus score in Test cricket since 616 days now.

Before this series, Pakistan were eliminated from the group stage of the T20 World Cup 2024 under Babar Azam's captaincy. He is currently Pakistan's white-ball captain but it is under scrutiny as well.

Mohammad Wasim speaks on Imad Wasim's hidden injury

Mohammad Wasim also lashed out at allrounder Imad Wasim, stating that he has been hiding a knee injury for years now. The former chief selector claimed that Imad Wasim was dropped from the Pakistan team due to a knee injury.

“Imad (Wasim) 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,” Mohammad Wasim said.

Imad Wasim last played for Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2024 where he picked up 3 wickets in 3 matches at an average of 14.66. The allrounder had already retired from international cricket in November 2023 but withdrew his decision before the T20 World Cup 2024 to be a part of Pakistan's squad for the tournament.

Mohammad Wasim gave another shocking statement regarding the team environment in Pakistan's dressing room. He claimed that he tried to remove four players from the team but could not do so as the management called them back.

“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 added.

Pakistan is currently playing a two-match Test series against Bangladesh at home. Bangladesh are leading the series 1-0 with the second Test still ongoing. Pakistan have struggled to get going in the series so far and the visitors have made full use of it.