Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan kicked out of captaincy race; new candidate emerges after Younis Khan's suggestion

Legendary Pakistani batter Younis Khan raised questions about the captaincy of Babar Azan after the Pakistan cricket team was knocked out of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024. As there are speculations about the removal of Babar as Pakistan captain, Younis suggested a surprising name to take over.

After reaching the final of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, Pakistan's performance in ICC events saw a significant decline. They had a disappointing performance in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India, failing to qualify for the semifinals, and now their 2024 T20 World Cup campaign is also poor.

The Men in Green suffered a shocking loss to the United States and India in the group stage, and they failed to qualify for the Super-8 stage of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, which has increased scrutiny of Azam's captaincy, with many suggesting Shaheen Afridi be reinstated as T20I captain.

Younis Khan advocates for Fakhar Zaman as new Pakistan captain Post-ICC T20 World Cup 2024

Well, Pakistan’s dismal performance has sparked debates about potential leadership changes, with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi also hinting at the overhaul of the support staff and team after their embarrassing performance in the tournament.

Meanwhile, Younis Khan has suggested that Fakhar Zaman could be an ideal candidate to replace Babar as Pakistan’s white-ball captain if the PCB makes changes to the leadership post-T20 World Cup 2024. The former batting coach also highlighted Zaman's pivotal role and performances over the years to boost his case for Pakistan’s captaincy.

He also mentioned his turnaround in the latter half of the ODI World Cup 2023 in India, showcasing his ability to lead by example. The former Pakistan captain also highlighted the very important quality of Zaman, which is to secure his batting position for others, which shows commitment to the team's success.

He said that Zaman's willingness to adapt his batting position for the team's needs, exhibiting his flexibility by batting lower in the order when required, is quite impressive. Younis also advocates for Naseem Shah as a potential captain.

Why won’t you make Fakhar Zaman the captain?: Younis Khan asked PCB

Younis Khan was quoted as saying by PTV Sports: “Why can’t Fakhar Zaman be the captain of the side isn’t he a performer? Didn’t he do well in the last 50-over World Cup? Who is that one player who gave us hope? Zaman started the 2023 World Cup in India poorly however, in the second half turned his form around which coincided with Pakistan’s success.

His blistering starts at the top kept Pakistan in contention however, it was too little too late for them to go further in the tournament. Who is that one player in the side who is leaving his opening slot and batting down at four or five or six? Who is sacrificing his place? Fakhar Zaman! Why won’t you make him the captain?”

However, Zaman has not produced the desired results at No.3, as the left-handed batter managed only 33 runs in four matches, averaging 8.25 with a strike rate of 110, in the T20 World Cup.