It has been four years, Babar Azam still does not know how to do captaincy: Kamran Akmal

Former Pakistan cricketer Kamran Akmal passed a blunt remark Babar Azam’s captaincy skills. The statements came after the Men in Green lost the fifth T20I match against New Zealand at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on April 24.

Notably, the Kiwis got on level terms in the five-match T20I series after a scintillating unbeaten ton by Mark Chapman, who scored 104 of just 57 balls. Kamran took to his YouTube channel and made a blunt statement on Babar’s captaincy skills and also added that it was not a surprise that the side lost the fifth T20I against the Kiwis.

"Speaking of their mistakes, they deflect and accuse us of criticism. But our focus is on their captaincy, not their performance. We're not blind to their abilities. 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 on his YouTube channel.

The former wicketkeeper-batter also was not too impressed with Babar Azam’s on-field decisions during the chase in the fifth T20I. He further schooled the skipper and stated that he should have handed the ball to Iftikhar Ahmed when two left-handed batters were on the crease, instead of Shadab Khan.

"If both the left-handed batsmen were on the crease, the logical choice would have been to give the ball to Iftikhar Ahmed. 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 concluded.

Pakistan are set to host New Zealand in a five-match ODI series scheduled to commence on April 27. The side will be gunning to clinch the series and get their combinations right to obtain a core team for the ODI World Cup later in October 2023.