Cricket

Michael Atherton grills Babar Azam after England whitewash Pakistan in Tests: ‘Are you committed as captain?’

September 12, 2026

England completed a 3-0 sweep against Pakistan by securing an eight-wicket victory in the final Test at Edgbaston, wrapping up the chase of 130 on the fourth morning behind Joe Root and Jordon Cox, despite Mohammad Abbas dismissing Ben Duckett and Emilio Gay in the first over. The tourists, who had crossed the 200-run threshold for the first time on the trip with a fourth-innings total of 449 sparked by debutant Razaullah's nine sixes in an 81-run knock, had endured a chaotic tour marked by the Pakistan Cricket Board dropping seven players—including Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha—and two coaches following defeat at Lord's without 's input.

Following the loss, former England skipper Michael Atherton pressed Babar regarding his dedication to captaining the side amid their basement position in consecutive World Test Championship cycles, to which the 31-year-old responded vaguely about correcting errors and selecting the right starting team alongside selectors and coaching staff. Babar himself had sat out the opening fixture before posting meager scores of 8, 6, and 7 across his next three innings, though he concluded with a 76 before falling to Josh Tongue for the second time in the match, stretching his streak without a Test hundred to 40 innings dating back to December 2022.