"You brought in two guys who humiliated him on TV" - Salman Butt slams PCB for mishandling Babar Azam's captaincy

Former cricketer Salman Butt slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for their mishandling of Babar Azam's captaincy. Babar has faced massive scrutiny as skipper for Pakistan's dismal showing over the past year.

The Men in Green suffered an embarrassing exit before the Super Eights from the recent T20 World Cup that included a Super Over defeat to minnows USA. Babar also led the side during their dismal 2023 ODI World Cup campaign, where they failed to qualify for the semi-final.

In an interview with Cricket Pakistan, Butt pointed to PCB's negative impact on Babar's struggles as captain.

"Let’s first talk about what Babar Azam has at hand. He is not a born leader. But the issue is, what have you contributed to make it easier for him? You brought in two guys who humiliated him on TV. Then you changed the captain and brought him back after two series. You are creating corners within the team yourself."

Salman Butt's 'two guys' refers to Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim, both of whom have openly criticized Babar in the past. Yet, the duo came out of retirement to play for Pakistan in the 2024 T20 World Cup.

While Amir had a relatively impressive tournament with seven wickets at an average of 10.28 and an economy of 4.50, his 18-run super over against the USA ultimately proved costly.

As for Imad, he endured a dismal campaign with the bat, averaging under 10 at a strike rate of 65.51 but was decent with the ball with an average of 14.66 and an economy of 4.

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"You are having him managed by those who couldn’t manage themselves their whole life" - Salman Butt

Babar has found himself at the center of criticism for Pakistan's recent struggles [Credit: Getty]

Salman Butt continued taking a dig at the board for not helping Babar Azam's cause as Pakistan captain.

Despite the recent string of poor results, the 29-year-old boasts an excellent record as captain with 84 wins and only 50 losses in 148 games across formats. Following Pakistan's horrific 2023 ODI World Cup, Babar stepped down as captain in all formats.

However, the management reinstated him for the role in the white-ball formats earlier in the year.

"There needed to be proper man management in the team. You are having him managed by those who couldn’t manage themselves their whole life. You have wronged Babar; yes, he is not a good captain, but you didn’t give him ideal preparation either," said Butt.

The PCB recently sacked Wahab Riaz and Abdul Razzaq from the senior national selection committee after Pakistan's disastrous T20 World Cup campaign.

However, Babar's white-ball captaincy remains intact future despite widespread speculations of a possible change.