‘Is Babar Azam the next target?’: Rashid Latif reacts to Aaqib Javed’s claim that captain ignored selectors’ advice

Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has questioned selector Aaqib Javed’s explanation for the mid-series squad overhaul against England, asking why coaches Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul were sent home if the real issue was the captain ignoring the selection committee’s advice.

Latif’s statement came after Javed defended the decision to release seven players ahead of the third Test in Birmingham, saying the selectors had repeatedly flagged concerns to the captain that went unaddressed.

“We sent multiple messages to the captain recommending that certain players be dropped. Our recommendations were not paid heed to, so we had to take this decision,” Aqib said in a recent interview.

Reacting to the comment, Latif questioned the logic behind the changes. “If the team had to be run by remote control, then why were Sarfaraz and Umar Gul sent? Why were the selection powers taken away from Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie?” he wrote in a post on X.

“And if captain Babar Azam wasn’t listening, the captain should have been sacked, so why were Sarfaraz and Umar Gul sent back instead? Is Babar Azam the next target?” he added.

Earlier, the PCB overhauled the Test squad and coaching staff following the back-to-back defeats in England. Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad were all released from the squad, with Saim Ayub, Abdullah Fazal, Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran and Razaullah brought in as replacements.

Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were also removed from their roles. The white-ball coaching panel of Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke will now oversee the Test side for the third and last Test in Birmingham.

The PCB has additionally issued notices to selection committee members Aaqib Javed, Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq, seeking written explanations over the selection of Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq for the Test squad.

According to reports, Misbah has decided to resign from the selection committee.

The third Test begins on September 9 at Edgbaston.