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Facing criticism for a poor World Cup show, Babar Azam now finds himself embroiled in a controversy over a purported WhatsApp chat with a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official.

Pakistan are struggling at the World Cup and are currently in the sixth spot after four back-to-back losses. The chat surfaced at a time when former Pakistan skipper Rashid Latif claimed that Babar had been trying to call PCB chief Zaka Ashraf for the last two days but he wasn’t answering the calls, Pakistani media reported.

Legendary Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis has angrily reacted to the purported chat being leaked on social media. This is pathetic. Please leave Babar Azam alone. He is an asset to Pakistan cricket,” Waqar wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

A report published by a media outlet said that Babar was purportedly talking to PCB’s Chief Operating Officer Salman in the chat. In the conversation, which was released on Pakistani TV channel ARY News, the PCB official’s message read, “Babar, there’s also been this news circulating on TV and social media that you have been calling Chairman and he’s not answering. Have you called him recently?”

The receiver, whose name was saved as ‘Babar Azam New,’ replied, “(Hello brother, I did not call sir).”

The authenticity of the WhatsApp chat could not be verified.

In an interview with ARY News, PCB chief Zaka Ashraf rubbished Latif’s claims that he had been ignoring Babar’s calls. “He [Babar] has never called me. A skipper cannot contact the PCB chairman as he can only contact the director international or COO of the PCB,” Ashraf said.

The PCB chief also questioned Latif’s intentions. “I think it is also part of a game and I feel pity about his [Latif’s] claims. I constituted a technical committee under the supervision of Misbah-ul-Haq and several former cricketers were invited there including Rashid Latif and Mohammad Hafeez. Rashid Latif had also criticised the technical committee when it sought his recommendations. Instead of giving his advice, Rashid launched criticism on the committee and felt proud to walk out of the meeting,” Ashraf added.

At the World Cup, Pakistan have managed to claim just two wins. They can still make it to the semi-finals but have to win all their remaining three matches and depend on the results of other teams to make it to the knockout stage.

In their next World Cup fixture, Pakistan will face Bangladesh on Tuesday.