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Former Pakistan keeper-batter Kamran Akmal has criticized Babar Azam's captaincy following an embarrassing series loss on home soil to England. He lamented Babar's poor decision-making and felt there was no comparison between his and Ben Stokes' captaincy.
Pakistan suffered their worst-ever Test series defeat at home, losing 3-0 to England, who outplayed them on all fronts in all three matches. It also marked the second consecutive series loss at home under Babar and the fourth consecutive Test defeat in their backyard, with Australia beating them in Lahore in March.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Akmal questioned whether the players who made their debuts deserved to play. The 40-year-old went on to lash Babar for his poor body language on the field and called on him to show more energy moving forward.
"We know where we made mistakes. Those who made their debut, did they deserve it? Did we play the XI according to the pitches? The captaincy wasn't perfect," Kamran Akmal said.
"You look at Ben Stokes' captaincy and Babar's captaincy. He has been Pakistan's skipper for so long, at least have some maturity now, and take better decisions. At least make your presence feel in the ground. There was nothing positive about him. From the first Test till the last day of the series, every time there was a press conference, commentators and media, everyone was talking about how England dominated Pakistan," he added.
Despite a 3-0 loss, Babar suggested he wanted to stay on as captain and backed his coaching staff. Head coach Saqlain Mushtaq said he remains hopeful of Pakistan bouncing back when they host New Zealand in a two-Test series starting December 26.
"Very big achievement for England" - Kamran Akmal
In the same video, Kamran Akmal credited England for exposing Pakistan's shortcomings and creating history by winning the series. He said:
"Any country that wins a series in Pakistan, it's a big achievement for them. Very big achievement for England. They came after so long, it was a historical series and they made Pakistan a history. They told us. 'we have exposed your cricket, your mentality, and your system. Now, you take the decision on how to improve your cricket'. They played their own cricket."
