Latif questions Babar’s authority as captain following Imam’s statement

Rashid Latif has questioned Babar Azam’s authority as captain, following a statement made by Imam ul Haq regarding Pakistan’s plans to experiment with their batting order in the remaining two matches against New Zealand in Karachi.

During the post-match presentation in Karachi on Wednesday, Imam was asked if Pakistan need Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohammad Haris in the middle-order to bolster power-hitting in the remaining matches of New Zealand series.

“If I tell you honestly, I don’t think so, because we don’t have time to do experiments, and with Agha [Salman], Shadab [Khan] and [Mohammad] Nawaz, we have enough power-hitting in our ranks. We just need to give them confidence. We could have given chance to Haris and Iftikhar if we had more matches. That is what I think. Babar might think differently,” Imam said.

Latif was questioned about Imam’s statement and whether he had the authority to make such statements about the team’s batting order despite not being in a leadership position.

“Now you can imagine, who is captain and who is not,” Latif said.

Earlier this week, Latif had advised Pakistan captain, Babar Azam, to relinquish his leadership role if he receives unnecessary pressure from outside elements.

“Babar will remain captain. However, my advice to Babar is to step down [from captaincy], if someone tries to influence him from outside,” Latif had said on his YouTube channel.

According to media reports, PCB is set to retain Babar as Pakistan captain for all three formats till the 2023 World Cup in India.