Pakistan cricket was thrown into turmoil after captain Babar Azam refused to take the field on Day 2 of the third Test against England as a form of protest. Babar missed the first hour of the second day and Mohammad Rizwan took over the captaincy duties. Initially believed to be the reason for Babar’s absence was a headache, it was later reported that Babar was enraged over an altercation he had gotten into with security personnel the previous night while out for dinner and decided to stay back at the restaurant. change room
After considering the entire incident, former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif, who confirmed the development on a local news channel, termed the entire incident as unfortunate and demanded that Ramiz Raja investigate the matter in time. Latif feels that the prospect of Babar and the PCB being at loggerheads is not what Pakistan cricket needs right now and expects the board chairman to intervene as soon as possible.
“Of course questions will be asked. The reason has not been given. Whoever is to blame, chairman Ramiz Raja should look into it. Someone new has been sent in Karachi but he must be aware that they are here to look after the team and his players and not harass them. He is the captain of the Pakistan team after all. It should have been investigated and I think as a protest Babar Azam refused to enter the ground. I mean the Pakistan cricket captain is protesting against his own plate for his own safety. We have to ensure so that doesn’t happen,” the former Pakistan captain said during the show.
According to many reports, the entire incident took place on the eve of the second day of the Test match. On Saturday night, Babar and some of his teammates including Imam Ul Haq and Azhar Ali went to a restaurant in Clifton for dinner as the Pakistan captain was questioned by security. As per protocol, if the players intend to leave the hotel premises, they must notify security in advance, but on this occasion the process was not followed and resulted in a heated exchange between Babar and the security staff. Apparently, the umpire took exception to Babar only, which did not sit well with the Pakistan captain.
A serious upheaval is expected within the PCB, with Chairman Ramiz Raja expected to be removed from the post. Besides, questions could also be asked of Babar as Pakistan stared at a 0-3 lime. Under Babar, Pakistan lost in the finals of the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup and achieved a hat-trick of defeats in Test matches and at home, with a fourth looming.
