Senior players ‘reluctant' to play under Babar Azam, dressing room tensions rise

The tensions within the Pakistan cricket team dressing room have grown after reports claimed that several senior players were reluctant to play under the leadership of their captain, Babar Azam. It’s noteworthy that the board sent back seven players mid-series from the England tour, including Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, and Salman Ali Agha.  

Agha even led the Pakistan side during the opening Test of the three-match series at Headingley. He was dropped from the second encounter and was sent back home ahead of the third clash at Edgbaston. It has now been reported that multiple senior players expressed hesitation about continuing Babar’s captaincy. 

Young players reportedly reveal senior Pakistan stars' reluctance to play under Babar Azam

The reports added that some young Pakistan cricketers revealed that a few senior players were not happy to play under Babar Azam, with tensions reportedly escalating inside the dressing room. It further claimed that the team manager Naveed Akram Cheema was aware of the situation. 

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) backed Babar and some senior players, who are involved in being sent back home. The board, meanwhile, has granted the veteran batter full authority to make key decisions and rebuild the squad around himself.

See Also: Mohammad Rizwan accused of online betting — Lahore High Court rejects his petition

The senior players, Rizwan and Imam, were sidelined from domestic first-class cricket due to the active investigation by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) into the alleged dressing room leaks.

PCB reportedly backs Babar Azam as team manager Naveed Akram Cheema said to be aware of rift

The Pakistan team manager, despite being fully aware of the situation, helped Babar in the entire situation. Pakistan’s performance with the bat in the England series was really disappointing, as their batters failed to put on any show. They couldn’t get the team score of more than 200 runs in any of the first four innings.

That was the same situation during the first innings of the third encounter at Edgbaston before they finally fought their way to 400+ runs in the second innings of the game. Babar, Azan Awais, and Shan Masood celebrated their respective fifties, but the most impressive knock was by debutant Razaullah, who drilled 81 runs off just 63 balls, including four boundaries and nine sixes.

See Also: "Jese bohat bara criminal hai" — Mohammad Amir slams online trolling of Mohammad Rizwan over dressing room leak row

Rizwan has also been accused of online betting as the Lahore High Court rejected his petition challenging the NCCIA proceedings against him. However, it’s still not clear if he was actually part of the betting scandal.