Told to rest Babar Azam, I was forced to resign as Pakistan selector: Mohammad Yousuf

T20 World Cup: Mohammad Yousuf revealed that he was forced to resign from his role as Pakistan selector in 2024 after suggesting that Babar Azam should be dropped from T20Is. Babar has struggled for form during the T20 World Cup 2026.

Mohammad Yousuf has revealed how he was forced to resign as Pakistan selector after suggesting that Babar Azam should be rested from T20Is. Babar has been in and out of the Pakistan T20I setup over the past few years, but has always found a place in the squad when it comes to T20 World Cups. Despite this, Babar has failed to inspire in the format, with his strike-rate and technique being deemed not fit for T20 cricket.

In the 2024 T20 World Cup, Babar scored 122 runs in four matches at a strike-rate of 101.66 as Pakistan crashed out in the group phase. In the ongoing edition of the tournament, the Pakistan batter has been given the No.4 spot, a position he batted only once in 2017 before the tournament. The Pakistan batter has continued to struggle, scoring 66 runs from four matches with a strike-rate of 115.78 and didn't even come out to bat in the Namibia game.

Speaking on How Does It Work Podcast, Yousuf said that Babar's technique has gone for a toss. The Pakistan legend recalled how he was made to leave his role for suggesting a move to drop Babar from the team.

“I’ve been saying this for 2-3 years that Babar’s technique has gone for a toss. I’ve been hearing that he is out-of-form, but he is not. A player can only be out-of-form for two to three series and he has not scored runs for the past two-three years. The moment I suggested resting Babar, everyone suddenly turned against me. I had to resign because of this. He was eventually dropped a couple of series later,” said Yousuf.

Ahead of the T20 World Cup, Babar tried to get back into form with a stint in the Big Bash League, and it made cope more criticism. Yousuf said that when it comes to Babar, the idea of mindset is being sold in case of his role in T20Is and he doesn't he have the skill to excel in the format.

“The churan of mindset is being sold very wrongly. Until you don’t have the skill, the mind can’t do anything. If you don’t have the skill, what will the mind do?. Inzy (Inzamam-ul-Haq) Bhai and Saeed (Anwar) Bhai’s level can’t be matched. They can’t be matched. They were very big players. Zaheer Abbas.These players were of different categories and levels. Babar is nothing in front of them,” said Yousuf.