Pakistan's captain Babar Azam.
Credit: PTI Photo
Karachi: Babar Azam's days as Pakistan skipper could be numbered as PCB head honcho Zaka Ashraf has stopped responding to his calls and text messages, former Pakistan keeper Rashid Latif, known for adding fuel to conspiracy theories, claimed on Saturday.
Pakistan lost their fourth game on trot, a close one-wicket defeat to South Africa, which has almost confirmed their exit from the World Cup and emotions has been really high in the country with former players baying for the skipper's blood.
"I know for a fact that Babar has got no response from the Chairman (Zaka Ashraf) when he called and messaged from India," Latif claimed on the state-owned PTV sports channel.
Latif also alleged that players have at least four to five months' salary pending as per committed in central contract.
"The players have not got salaries..the Chairman is not responding to the captain and in these circumstances what do we expect from the team." Latif also claimed that some senior officials in the board had now conveyed to the players the central contracts they signed before leaving for the World Cup were under review now.
Latif, who was one of the original whistle-blowers during the infamous match-fixing saga claimed that a lobby that wanted Babar to endorse surrogate betting advertisements are rooting for his ouster although he didn't give any proof to substantiate his claims.
"You have to see who are the people who have been hit by this ban on surrogate advertising. Babar is being punished for his bold and principled stand on surrogate advertising before the World Cup," Latif said.
Akram, Malik critcise Babar's captaincy acumen
Legendary Wasim Akram was at his wits' end to understand why Babar gave that 48th over to left-arm spinner Mohammed Nawaz, who isn't known to be consistent.
"I don't know what he (Babar) was doing? Why give Nawaz the over when he had not bowled well at all in the innings and was lacking confidence? Usama was the obvious choice with the fast bowlers having finished their spells. Poor captaincy," Akram said on The Pavilion.
On the same show, Malik, who is a known Babar critic was more blunt.
"I have always said that Babar is not made for captaincy. He can’t handle the pressure and it is affecting his batting badly," Malik said.