Babar Azam has been politely reminded of the policies by the board after his recent actions.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam found himself in troubled waters for bringing his brother Safeer Azam to the High Performance Centre in Lahore. Babar was seen overlooking his brother’s training in the nets in the photos and videos that went viral on social media. It didn’t take much time for it to cause a stir as Babar’s actions were against the policies of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). It also drew criticism from several former Pakistan cricketers including Tanvir Ahmed.
It all happened after Babar’s brother posted a video of him batting in the nets at the HPC in Lahore under watchful eyes of the Pakistan captain. Shahnawaz Dahani, another upcoming pacer, was bowling to him. But according to the PCB policies, only Pakistan players, first-class and junior cricketers can use the facilities at the HPC with the permission of the concerned authorities.
With Safeer not yet making any impact at any level of the sport, it clearly went against PCB’s rules. “Babar came to the centre three-four days back with his brother and this was before the conditioning camp had begun. And his brother later held nets which was brought to the notice of the board,” a source close to the development in the PCB told PTI.
— safeer azam (@safeerazam10) May 14, 2022
The source also confirmed that since he is the national captain, Babar Azam was politely reminded of the PCB policies and also stated that Babar agreed to what was told as well.
“He is our national team captain and the matter was handled in a manner where he was politely reminded about the situation and he agreed,” the source added.
Meanwhile, Babar Azam has started training in the nets ahead of a bust international season. PCB has also invited 60 more cricketers in two batches of 30 each for a two-week conditional camp in order to prepare for the new season.
Pakistan are next scheduled to play against the West Indies in a three-match ODI series that was postponed last year in December after a COVID-19 breakout in the Caribbean camp.
