'Babar ko bas captain ban'nay ka shoq hai': Ahmed Shehzad questions Babar Azam's return

Former Pakistan opener Ahmed Shehzad has reignited debate over Babar Azam's return as Test captain, accusing the star batter of wanting the captaincy for personal reasons rather than the country's benefit.

Speaking during a recent television programme, Shehzad questioned why the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reinstated Babar despite his struggles with both leadership and form.

"You made another player captain, even though he had already proven to be a failed captain," Shehzad said.

He pointed out that Babar had managed only around 550 runs across his previous 30 to 32 innings, arguing that concerns over his declining batting had existed long before the captaincy was handed back to him.

"People had been saying for a long time that his batting was declining because of captaincy," he said. "Yet, despite all of that, you handed him the role again. It was almost as if he himself was eager to take it back."

Shehzad then delivered his sharpest criticism.

"Babar ko captain ban'nay ka shoq hai," he said, claiming the role comes with privileges that made it difficult for the former skipper to let go.

"Captaincy comes with stardom and authority within the team. When you're the captain, you get privileges, you stay in a suite, the whole team follows your lead, and you receive higher daily allowances. I think he became so attached to the role that even after failing two or three times, he still decided to take the captaincy again."

He also rejected the narrative that Babar accepted the role out of national duty.

"But please don't say he did it for the country. That's simply not true," Shehzad said. "After leading the team two or three times and seeing his own performances decline, he could have stepped aside and allowed a younger player or someone else to take over. But he accepted the role again immediately."

The comments come shortly after the PCB announced Babar's return as Pakistan's Test captain, replacing Shan Masood ahead of the upcoming Test series against the West Indies and England.

Masood led Pakistan in 16 Tests, winning four and losing 12, while Babar previously captained the Test side between 2020 and 2023, recording 10 wins, six defeats and four draws in 20 matches.