Following Kamran Akmal's controversial remarks suggesting that Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan should only play Test cricket in the future, Babar's father Muhammad Azam Siddiqui has responded with a fiery Instagram post aimed at the former cricketer.

 

During a recent podcast, Kamran Akmal said that it was "absolutely the right decision" to permanently drop Babar and Rizwan from the T20I side. "These players are more suited for the longer format of the game. In my opinion, they should now be kept on only for Test matches. Maybe after another six months, they should only be considered for Test cricket". 

 

Akmal didn't stop there; he even questioned their place in the ODI setup. "After another six months, they should be sidelined from ODIs, too, because Pakistan hardly plays Test matches these days. No one is even talking about Test cricket. But if any real players are made, they are made through playing Test cricket," he added.

 

 

He emphasized that players who excel in red-ball cricket have the foundation to succeed in all formats. "You can't just play T20 and expect to be great at Test cricket too. If someone plays Test matches, they can handle ODIs and T20s as well," he opined. 

 

In response, sharing an old photo of himself with Babar and Kamran Akmal, Siddiqui penned a strong caption indirectly addressing Akmal's recent comments. He reminded Kamran Akmal of the past, stating, "This child (Babar) never played under your captaincy, but you did play under his captaincy and got out on zero while he scored a century that day. Talking behind the backs of successful people is a compulsion of those who have failed."

 

He also referred to a Turkish proverb, writing: "If someone says they are your brother, they should also clarify whether they are like Habil or Qabil (a reference to the story of Abel and Cain)."

 

Earlier, Kamran Akmal had also criticised Babar Azam’s father for speaking up on dropping Babar Azam, saying that families should avoid making public statements about a player’s career.

 

“I faced tough times too but told my father and brothers not to speak; it was my matter,” he said. “It’s not appropriate to speak against the institution either,” he added, referring to criticism of the PCB.