'Babar Azam still doesn’t know how to do captaincy after four years': brother Kamran Akmal

Following Pakistan's loss in the fifth T20I against New Zealand, Kamran Akmal has accused team captain Babar Azam of poor leadership. Despite Pakistan posting a competitive total of 193-5, the visitors successfully chased down the target, recovering from a shaky start of 73-4 in the 10th over. Opener Mohammad Rizwan scored a brilliant unbeaten 98, but Pakistan's run-scoring slowed down towards the end of their innings. 

The defeat against New Zealand's second-string side has sparked criticism from various quarters, including accusations of nepotism and favoritism in team selection. Earlier this month, Kamran Akmal had expressed his concerns about team selection, emphasizing the importance of merit over personal connections. Kamran has now slammed his younger cousin for poor leadership, saying that Babar still doesn't know how to do captaincy after four years. 

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"He [Babar Azam] still doesn’t know how to do captaincy after four years – he doesn’t even know which bowler to give to ball to at what time. It’s no surprise that they lost when they continued to make the same mistakes. We didn’t control our errors, and that’s why they emerged victorious," Kamran told Cricket Pakistan. 

"If both the left-handed batsmen were on the crease, the logical choice would have been to give the ball to Iftikhar Ahmed [off-spinner]. But instead, we saw the leg-spinner Shadab Khan being given the over and was being continuously smashed by the New Zealand batters. It would have been wise to rest him and bring in another all-rounder to give the team a chance to regain their footing," he added. 

Pakistan are scheduled to host New Zealand in a five-match ODI series starting April 27. Both sides will be determined to win the series and finalize their playing combinations ahead of the ODI World Cup in October 2023, with the goal of establishing a strong and cohesive team.

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Pakistan vs New Zealand: ODI squads

Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vc), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Ihsanullah, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Usama Mir.

New Zealand: Tom Latham (captain),Tom Blundell, Chad Bowes, Mark Chapman, Matt Henry, Ben Lister, Cole McConchie, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Rachin Ravindra, Henry Shipley, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner, Will Young.

Image: PCB/AP