'Were you there to sell chickpeas?' Akram slams Babar Azam's captaincy in England Tests

Babar Azam was appointed as Pakistan's Test captain in July, replacing Shan Masood, ahead of tours to the West Indies and England.

Wasim Akram criticised Babar Azam's leadership after Pakistan's poor performance in the Test series against England.

Akram questioned Babar's awareness of significant team shake-ups, including coaching and player changes.

The former skipper suggested Babar should not have resumed the Test captaincy from Shan Masood.

Akram advised Babar to have relinquished captaincy after the second Test and played as a specialist batter.

Pakistan faced sanctions for a slow over-rate during the series, impacting their World Test Championship standing.

Babar Azam celebrates his half century during the third Test against England, at Edgbaston Cricket Ground, Birmingham, September 11, 2026.

Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram slammed skipper Babar Azam, questioning if he was there to "sell chickpeas" during the Test series against England, if he was not aware of the shake-ups within the team he was leading.

The three-match Test series in the United Kingdom concluded on a disastrous note for Pakistan.

After a second Test defeat to England at Lord's, the Pakistan Cricket Board made a huge squad shake-up for the final Test, removing head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed, bowling coach Umar Gul and seven players, including seniors Mohammed Rizwan and Imam-ul Haq.

Skipper Babar himself registered three single-digit scores before scoring a rapid 76 in the final innings at Edgbaston, though in a losing effort.

Akram opined that Babar should never have taken over as captain again from Shan Masood.

Speaking at an event in Manchester, he said, as quoted by Geo News, "I do not want to blame anyone, and I could be wrong as well.

"But, in my opinion, Babar should not have taken the captaincy. All of this was unnecessary."

Babar Azam's Unawareness And Akram's Strong Criticism

Ahead of the third Test at Birmingham, Pakistan's premier batter was asked about the changes made in the team, to which Azam surprisingly revealed that it was "news to him" and he was not aware of the changes.

Akram, a pace great, questioned Babar's role as Test skipper if he was so unaware of such massive shake-ups.

"Babar Azam said he did not know. If you don’t know, then what were you doing here? Were you here to sell chickpeas?” Akram said.

“As a player or as a person, I believe that if your leader or captain does not stand by you, you cannot give 100 per cent.”

Akram said Babar should have relinquished the captaincy after the second Test and played the final Test as a player.

"My suggestion is that after the second Test, Babar should have said that he would play only as a player.”

Captaincy History And Team Sanctions

Babar was appointed Test captain in July, replacing Shan, ahead of tours to the West Indies and England.

In his previous stint from 2020-23, he captained Pakistan in 20 Tests, winning 10, losing six, drawing four.

After his return to leadership, Pakistan drew 1-1 in the West Indies, with Babar winning the 'Player of the Series' after two fifties and a total of 193 runs.

Pakistan were hit with a pair of sanctions for maintaining a slow over-rate during the third and final ICC World Test Championship contest against England in Birmingham.

The team was penalised for being 11 overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration during the Edgbaston Test, which England won by eight wickets, and fined 50 per cent of their match fees, resulting in an 11-point deduction in the ongoing World Test Championship cycle.

It means Pakistan lose ground at the bottom of the World Test Championship standings. They are now in ninth place, with a 4.63 points percentage.