"Babar Azam should stay away from Pakistan captaincy"- Shoaib Malik warns his bestfriend
Published - 25 Jul 2024, 05:21 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:16 AM
Veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik has opened up about Pakistan's white-ball skipper Babar Azam's recent struggles in international cricket. Shoaib Malik also suggested that a veteran opener would be the ideal candidate to replace Babar Azam as the white-ball captain of the Pakistan national cricket team.
Babar Azam was reinstated as a white-ball skipper earlier this year after stepping down from the captaincy following the ODI World Cup 2023. However, Babar failed to make an impact against a second-string New Zealand team. Pakistan managed to draw the five-match T20I series 2-2 against New Zealand at home.
The Babar Azam-led team continued their struggles in the T20 World Cup 2024. The Men in Green were eliminated from the group stage in the ICC T20 event for the first time since 2016. Pakistan lost to the United States of America and India in their first two matches and failed to finish in the top 2 of the table.
Babar Azam Needs To Stay Strong - Shoaib Malik
In an interview with Cricket Pakistan, Shoaib Malik expressed his support for Babar Azam, adding that ups and downs are part of a cricketing career. Malik emphasized that Babar is currently facing tough times and added that good times will come too.
“Ups and downs are a part of life, especially when you are a cricketer from the subcontinent. He needs to stay strong during this time. I know he has a personality that embraces challenges; right now, it’s a downtime, but good times will come too,” Malik said.
The 42-year-old cricketer stated that he and Babar Azam remain close despite recent issues. Malik stated that they communicate whenever needed, adding that there is no distance between them.
“It’s not that he is far from me; that’s definitely not the case. Whenever he needs to talk or I need to talk, we do,” he added.
Babar Azam Should Stay Away From Leadership - Shoaib Malik
Shoaib Malik urged Babar Azam to relinquish captaincy, stating that the star batter should focus solely on playing to maximize his performance. The veteran batter said that Fakhar Zaman is a potential candidate to become Pakistan's whiteball captain. Malik praised Fakhar's fearless cricket and leadership abilities.
“As for his captaincy, my firm stance is that he should play only as a player. That’s my opinion. When he plays as a player, he can do wonders for the team. But in my opinion, he should stay away from leadership,” Malik further added.
“According to today’s fearless cricket, Fakhar Zaman should be considered for white ball captaincy because he has the sense and leadership capacity for it," he concluded.
Babar Azam has an impressive record as captain despite Pakistan's recent struggles. The 29-year-old batter guided the Pakistan team to 84 wins out of 134 games across formats. He is the second most successful Pakistan captain after Imran Khan. He scored 6739 runs at an average of 47.12 as captain of Pakistan.
