"Ab Sharam Aayi": Ex-Pak Star Tears Into Babar After Captaincy Resignation

Former Pakistan pacer Sikander Bakht has lashed out at Babar Azam after the latter announced the decision to step down as the captain of the white-ball team. Bakht feels Babar should have shown some shame and resigned from his role after Pakistan's early exit from the T20 World Cup in June. For the unversed, Pakistan failed to qualify for the knockout stage of the competition after losing to tournament debutants USA, a loss which was deemed by many as the most shameful in the country's history.

Bakht added that Babar could've had the self-realisation much earlier, considering his performances as a captain and a batter have not been upto the mark of late.

"Ab sharam ayi! (You finally felt ashamed!) As soon as our World Cup was over on 16th June because we had not qualified further, he should have resigned at the same time. The whole nation was saying that he should have resigned. But he was stubborn. Because his style was like this, he was king (In a sarcastic way). His performance was not good, neither was theirs. Anyway, they should have seen that we are removed in two ways. I don't know what happened to him," Bakht told Geo News.

In fact, Bakht went on claim that Babar didn't resign. He was told to make the announcement. He also added that the atmosphere in the dressing is not great with three players-Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Mohammad Rizwan-are already vying for the captaincy in white-ball cricket.

"He was told to resign. Look, we have three captains in our base. There are groups of three captains. One is Babar, another is Rizwan. They want to become captains. Shaheen want to become captain again. And there is also Shan Masood. Shan Masood lost five or six matches,'' he added.

Meanwhile, PCB released a statement on Babar's decision to step down.

"Although the PCB had backed Babar Azam as the white-ball captain, his decision to step down reflects his desire to focus more on making a greater impact as a player," the PCB stated in their official website

"This decision is a testament to his professionalism and commitment to Pakistan cricket. He believes that dedicating himself fully to his batting will enable him to play a more decisive role in the team's success in the shorter formats," the PCB added.