Why Umar Akmal has slammed former skipper Babar Azam's leadership
What's the story
Former Pakistan batter Umar Akmal has publicly slammed Babar Azam, who earlier led the side across formats.
In a recent television interview, Akmal attributed the team's current struggles to Azam's captaincy.
He alleged that Azam "never tried to build the bench strength due to his likes and dislikes."
This comes after Pakistan's dismal start in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy tournament, where they lost to New Zealand by 60 runs.
Here's more.
Unheard plea
Why Akmal is disappointed with Azam
Akmal expressed disappointment with Azam, stating that despite his outstanding domestic performances, he was overlooked for the national team.
He revealed that he personally approached Azam for an opportunity to make a comeback based on his form but was never given a chance.
"I told Babar, 'look give me a fair chance. You are doing well in the top order and I can be your finisher and we can win matches regularly and it will be good,'" Akmal stated.
Team dynamics
Critique of Azam's team-building approach
Akmal further slammed Azam's team-building approach, saying he "never bothered to try to build a strong bench because only teams with good back up players do consistently well in all formats."
This criticism highlights Akmal's belief that a strong reserve of players is essential for consistent performance across formats.
Despite being Azam's relative, Akmal's career has been on hold since 2019 when he was dropped.
Akmal has played 16 Tests, 121 ODIs, and 84 T20Is for Pakistan.