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'Imam-Ul-Haq &....': When Babar Azam Revealed His Best Friends In Pakistan Cricket Team

Babar Azam with Mohammad Rizwan in Pakistan training camp (PCB)Babar Azam with Mohammad Rizwan in Pakistan training camp (PCB)

In a fun rapid fire round with Urooj Mumtaz, Pakistan cricket team white-ball captain, Babar Azam unveiled his three best and close friends from the current senior team setup amidst the allegations of groupism and favouritism.

Babar Azam’s tenure as Pakistan’s all-format captain was supremely underwhelming as the team dropped to new lows. 

From getting knocked out in ODI and T20 World Cup group stages to dropping down in Test rankings, the men in green were forced to prove themselves even against associate member nations.

However, despite allegations of groupism and biased selections, Babar Azam retained his white ball format captaincy at least until the 2025 Champions Trophy. 

Imam, Rizwan & Shadab - Babar's close confidants!

Meanwhile, in a throwback interview with Urooj Mumtaz, Babar Azam revealed that his closest friends in the Pakistan cricket team are Imam-Ul-Haq, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shadab Khan. 

He explained that this particular group played together for as many as seven years and hence developed a great bond on and off the field. He also added that his bonding with the rest of the team is also cordial but these three are closest to him.

Notably, while Mohammad Rizwan is a regular face in Pakistan’s all-format senior team, Shadab Khan and Imam-Ul-Haq faded away with time due to inconsistency and prolonged slump.

Babar Azam Accused Of Betraying Shaheen Afridi

Meanwhile, Babar Azam’s relationship with Shaheen Afridi apparently turned sour when the former allegedly betrayed Afridi by staging a captaincy coup. Shaheen was appointed Pakistan cricket team’s white-ball captain following Babar’s resignation last year.

However, Babar Azam was reinstated as captain ahead of 2024 T20 World Cup and as per journalist Qadir Khawaja, Babar and PCB kept Shaheen in dark about their decision despite the pacer’s attempt to initiate dialogue which naturally left him heartbroken.