Babar Azam’s father responds to Kamran Akmal’s controversial remarks

Father of star Pakistan batter Babar Azam, Azam Siddique, has issued a fiery response following Kamran Akmal’s controversial comments suggesting that Babar and Mohammad Rizwan should be limited to playing only Test cricket in the future.

During a recent podcast, Kamran Akmal stated that it was "absolutely the right decision" to permanently drop the star duo from Pakistan’s T20I squad.

He claimed both players are better suited for the longer format and said, “In my opinion, they should now be kept only for Test matches. Maybe after another six months, they should be considered only for Test cricket.”

Akmal further questioned their future in the ODI format, adding, “After another six months, they should be sidelined from ODIs as well, because Pakistan hardly plays Test matches these days. No one is even talking about Test cricket. But if any real players are made, it is through playing Test cricket.”

He emphasised that strong performances in red-ball cricket lay the foundation for success in all formats. “You can’t just play T20 and expect to be great at Test cricket too. If someone plays Test matches, they can handle ODIs and T20s as well,” Akmal explained.

In his Instagram post, Siddique shared an old photo featuring himself, Babar Azam, and Kamran Akmal, with a caption indirectly addressing Akmal’s remarks.

He reminded the former wicketkeeper, "This child (Babar) never played under your captaincy, but you did play under his captaincy and got out for zero while he scored a century that day. Talking behind the backs of successful people is a compulsion of those who have failed."

Siddique also referenced a Turkish proverb, stating: "If someone says they are your brother, they should also clarify whether they are like Habil or Qabil (a reference to the story of Abel and Cain)."

For the unversed, the right-handed batter—who captained Pakistan in three consecutive ICC Men’s T20 World Cups (2021, 2022, and 2024)—last featured in a T20I in December 2023.

Since then, he has been out of favor, missing the home series against New Zealand in March and the ongoing three-match T20I series against Bangladesh, which began on May 28 in Lahore.

The 30-year-old, who has been under scrutiny for a lean run in T20Is, hasn’t scored a half-century since his 75-run knock against Ireland in May 2023.

He has played 128 T20Is for Pakistan, scoring 4,223 runs at an average of 39.83, including three centuries and 36 fifties.

Earlier this year, both Babar and Rizwan were omitted from the five-match T20I series in New Zealand as selectors opted to test younger players. The pair has not returned to the T20I squad since.

In another significant development, Mohammad Rizwan was recently removed from the T20I captaincy after leading in just two series. Salman Ali Agha has been appointed as the new skipper.