Babar Azam leaked chat controversy: A private conversation between Pakistan's captain Babar Azam and the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Salman Naseer, was leaked amidst rumours that the PCB chief Zaka Ashraf was not responding to Babar's calls. In the leaked chat, which was broadcast on a Pakistani television channel, Salman asked Babar about the allegations that he had been trying to contact the PCB chief but was not receiving a response. Babar responded by stating that he had not attempted to call Ashraf.
A significant controversy erupted after former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif claimed that PCB chief Ashraf had ceased communication with Babar and alleged that Pakistan cricketers had not received their salaries for the last four to five months. The controversy took a new turn with the leaked WhatsApp messages showing the conversation between Babar and PCB's COO, which read as follows:
“Babar, there’s also been this news circulating on TV and social media that you have been calling chairman and he’s not answering you. Have you called him recently?”, reads the message by Salman to Babar in the screenshot of a WhatsApp chat.
“Salam Salman bhai, Ma ny to sir ko koi call nahi ke”, replied Babar to Salman’s text.
“ok thanks”, reads the last message by Salman.
There are speculations that Babar Azam might be replaced as captain after the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, as Pakistan's performance in the tournament has been disappointing so far.
In light of the controversy surrounding Babar Azam's leaked WhatsApp messages, former Pakistan captain Waqar Younis has expressed his support for the current skipper. He shared his frustration on social media and called for everyone to stop pressuring Babar Azam.
“Ya kya Karna ki koshish kar raha ho aap loog??? This is pathetic !!!
Khush ho gaya aap loog. Please leave
@babarazam258 alone 🙏🏽. He’s an asset of Pakistan Cricket @TheRealPCB @ARYNEWSOFFICIAL @Salman_ARY”, said Waqar in his post on X(formerly Twitter).
Currently, Pakistan are ranked sixth in the points table of the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, with four points from six matches. They started the tournament with wins over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka but have since lost four consecutive matches.