"Biggest mistake was..." - Rashid Latif tears apart Babar Azam for 'weak' captaincy in T20 World Cup 2024

Pakistan cricketer Rashid Latif criticized Babar Azam's leadership for the Men in Green's lackluster performance in the T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the USA. Rashid Latif stated that Babar Azam shouldn't have accepted the captaincy for the second term, describing it as the 'biggest mistake' in his career.

Pakistan failed to advance to the Super 8s in the T20 World Cup 2024 after suffering losses against the United States of America and eventual champions India in their first two matches in the group stage. The Babar Azam-led team couldn't secure a top-two finish in Group A despite winning their next two matches.

The Pakistan skipper also faced criticism for his batting form in the recently concluded T20 World Cup. The right-handed batter managed to score 122 runs in 4 matches at an average of 40.66 and a disappointing strike rate of 101.67. Pakistan suffered a group-stage exit for the first time in the T20 World Cup since 2014.

Babar Azam Shouldn't Have Been Removed - Rashid Latif

Rashid Latif tells me "Babar Azam's biggest mistake was to accept the captaincy again. If he continues as captain, that will be an even bigger mistake by him" #Cricket pic.twitter.com/hsy9SC28tc

— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) July 2, 2024

Rashid Latif stated that Babar Azam shouldn't have been reappointed captain after the ODI World Cup, describing his second tenure as weak. Latif mentioned that Babar's acceptance of the captaincy was the biggest mistake that could further harm his game.

"Babar Azam shouldn't have been removed as captain after the ODI World Cup in India. Shaheen came in to replace him. But Babar's second tenure as captain was weak. Babar looked weak. This is not the way team selection should be done," Latif was quoted as saying by TOI.

"Babar didn't fight (in the T20 World Cup). His biggest mistake was accepting the captaincy again. If he continues as captain, it will be an even bigger mistake. He is drifting away from his game," the former cricketer added.

Babar Azam Was Reappointed As White-Ball Captain Ahead of T20 World Cup 2024

Babar Azam initially resigned as captain across all formats after Pakistan's disappointing showing in the 2023 ODI World Cup. However, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi reinstated Babar as the captain of white-ball cricket. Shaheen Afridi was sacked as T20I captain after leading the team in just one T20I series.

The 29-year-old batter failed to secure a major trophy, including the Asia Cup and World Cups (ODIs and T20Is), during his captaincy. He came close to winning titles on a few occasions. Pakistan suffered a semi-final exit in the 2021 edition, followed by a runner-up finish in the subsequent edition in Australia in 2022.

Babar Azam stated that he would leave the decision regarding his captaincy to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after their last match in the T20 World Cup 2024. Pakistan is set to face Bangladesh in a two-match Test series in August 2024. The series is part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023–2025 cycle.

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