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Babar Azam (Image source- Twitter)
Pakistan's all-format captain Babar Azam faced criticism for bringing his younger brother Safeer to the high-performance centre (HPC) in Lahore for a net session. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was certainly dissatisfied with their captain and top batter, and gave him a strict warning.
Safeer Azam put up a video on Twitter of him batting in the nets, where Shahnawaz Dahani was also seen bowling to him. The video shared by the captain's brother quickly went viral across the internet. According to PCB policies, only Pakistan players, first-class players, and junior level players are permitted to practise in the high-performance centre. Safer did not fit within either of these categories and thus, the board gave him a severe warning. Babar's younger brother is yet to make an impression as a higher-level player.
Here is the video posted by Safeer Azam
— safeer azam (@safeerazam10) May 14, 2022
"Babar came to the centre three-four days back with his brother and this was before the conditioning camp had begun. And his brother later held nets which were brought to the notice of the board. He is our national team captain and the matter was handled in a manner where he was politely reminded about the situation and he agreed" a source in the PCB was quoted saying by Inside Sport.
In the meantime, Pakistan are all set to host West Indies for a three-match ODI series. The series will begin on the 8th of June, and all three matches will be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. In preparation for the next international season, Babar has begun practising daily in the nets at the HPC, while the PCB has invited roughly 60 players in two batches to attend two-week fitness camps.
The Pakistan team is also in preparations to compete in the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. During the last edition, Babar Azam's side made it to the semi-final but could not proceed further. In the 2022 edition, they will play their first game against arch-rivals India on the 23rd of October.