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“Not A Captain’s Answer…”: Salman Butt Slams Babar Azam’s Leadership Approach

Poulomi Chakraborty

Salman Butt Questions Babar Azam's Leadership (Source: @nibraz88cricket/x.com, @mmustafa_abid/x.com )Salman Butt Questions Babar Azam's Leadership (Source: @nibraz88cricket/x.com, @mmustafa_abid/x.com )

Over the past few years, Pakistan cricket has only faced lows, and eyeing a fresh start, they removed Babar Azam from his captaincy role. Ahead of the ongoing Asia Cup, they made another bold move, excluding Babar from their T20I plans and signaling a new era.

During Babar Azam’s captaincy, his leadership style often came under scrutiny. Recently, former Pakistan captain Salman Butt openly criticized Babar’s role as skipper, sparking fresh debate.

Salman Butt Questions Babar Azam’s Captaincy

Taking over from Sarfaraz Ahmed, Babar Azam took Pakistan’s White ball reins in 2020, and in the same year, he was appointed as the Test skipper of the side. As he was appointed to push the nation towards glory, it turned out to be different. In his tenure, the Men in Green failed to lift any ICC trophies and faced some massive blows.

Since he took over the captaincy role, his captaincy ethics came under scrutiny as former Pakistani star Salman Butt fired shots at him. On a recent podcast, Butt cited a T20 World Cup incident to question the former skipper’s mindset and approach on the field.

“Babar was once asked about that Super Over decision, whether he was the one to give Mohammad Amir the super over. His answer was that it was a collective decision with the coach involved. That is not a captain’s answer. To come out on the mic and express that shows weakness that you cannot own a decision,” Butt said.

Hitting Boundaries Doesn’t Guarantee Skipper's Success

Among all the world-class batters that Pakistan has produced, Babar Azam comes in the front row. With his batting mastery, he stunned the world. But his captaincy remained a questionable chapter of his career. Former star Salman Butt argued that even the best players aren’t guaranteed to be great captains, a point he believes rings true in Babar’s case.

“I think we should have preserved him as a top top player and let others take the responsibility. His persona is not that of a leader. Being a great player doesn’t make you a captain,” he said.

After Babar Azam stepped down from the captaincy role, the woes followed him. With his T20I strike rate under the microscope, he was excluded from Pakistan’s T20I plans. Having played his last T20I in December 2024, Babar was also left out of the Men in Green’s Asia Cup squad, marking a major setback in his T20I career.