Former Pakistan player Salman Butt has come out in support of Babar Azam after he resigned from white-ball captaincy. He slammed ex-player Sikander Bakht for his statement on the star batter.

Bakht mentioned that Babar should have resigned the day Pakistan were eliminated from the first round of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

“He finally felt ashamed. He should have quit the day we failed in the ICC T20 World Cup. The whole nation was against him, but he didn’t listen. Babar thought he was the king, and his performance was not good,” he told GEO News.

Salman Butt didn’t like Bakht’s choice of words. He said that one shouldn’t be saying such things about Babar, who has been Pakistan’s best performer in recent years.

“His statement was not good. He is going after a player who has done well for Pakistan in the last five years. No other batter has been that consistent, and he is among the best in the world. You can like and dislike any player, but you should also consider his contributions before saying anything bad.”

Babar had left the leadership role after the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, but he was recalled as a skipper before the T20 World Cup.

He recently failed with the bat in the two-test series against Bangladesh. The subcontinent team will now take on England in three red-ball games, and Babar’s performance will decide the outcome for the home team.

England won the previous Test series 3-0 in Pakistan.