Former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt has reignited debate on social media after questioning Babar Azam’s leadership qualities during his captaincy stint.

 

Speaking on a podcast on a YouTube channel, Butt acknowledged Babar’s stature as one of the best batters in the world but argued that captaincy was never his strong suit.

 

“I don’t think Babar was one of those players who had that kind of leadership bond you mentioned. I’ve been very clear about this since the time he was captain. Yes, he reached a T20 World Cup final, an Asia Cup final, but it wasn’t his leadership that took us there,” Butt said.

 

He pointed to an instance from the last T20 World Cup, where Pakistan suffered a shocking loss against the USA.

 

“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 explained.

 

The former opener stressed that Babar’s persona is not that of a natural leader.

 

“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 declared. 

 

Butt is not the first to question Babar’s captaincy. Despite leading Pakistan in 148 matches across all formats with a win percentage of 56.7, his tenure did not deliver any major trophies. While his batting remained world-class, criticism over his tactical decisions eventually led to him stepping down from the role.

 

After facing criticism over his strike rate in the T20 format, Babar Azam was dropped from the team. His last international T20 match was on December 13, 2024, against South Africa in Centurion. He is also not part of the squad for the ongoing Asia Cup 2025.

 

White-ball head coach Mike Hesson also made it clear that he needs to improve his strike rate to make a comeback in the team.