"Babar Azam's Captaincy Sacking Is A Pity.."- Ian Chappell

Legendary cricketer Ian Chappell expressed disappointment with the drama surrounding the removal of Babar Azam from the captaincy of the Pakistan cricket team. Ian Chappell suggested that the Pakistan cricket team has a history of frequently changing captains.

Babar Azam stepped down from the captaincy across all three formats after a disappointing performance in the 2023 World Cup. Opener Shan Masood has been named as skipper in Tests, while left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi will assume leadership responsibilities in T20Is.

Babar Azam Is A Very Good Player – Ian Chappell

Speaking on The Wide World of Sports’ Outside the Rope, Ian Chappell empathized with Babar Azam, acknowledging him as an excellent cricketer. Chappell expressed hope that Pakistan might find a suitable captain without the need for constant changes.

“Yeah that’s a pity, I think Babar’s a very good player. He’s not leaving the Pakistan side and maybe they can find a better captain. But it’s typical of Pakistan, they change captains (frequently),” Chappell said.

Pakistan is set to face Australia in a three-match Test series starting on December 14 in Perth. Shan Masood will be the Pakistan team’s ninth Test captain in the last 14 years. Masood will be hoping to guide the Pakistan team to its first-ever Test series victory in Australia.

Pakistan Don’t Have A Great Record In Australia – Ian Chappell

The former Australia skipper issued a warning to Pakistan, emphasizing their historically poor Test record in Australia. Chappell noted that Pakistan had struggled in Australian conditions in the past despite having strong batting and bowling sides.

“The problem with Pakistan is they don’t have a great record in Australia, even when they had good sides who could bat and bowl. They’ve got some good quickies at the moment but the bounce of Australian pitches has always troubled them,” Chappell further stated.

“If you look at the Australian side, they might be on the wane a bit, particularly when Warner goes but they’ve still got a very good attack and it’s a good pace attack. Starc, Cummins, Hazlewood, those blokes will worry Pakistan with that extra bounce.”

Also read: “Babar Azam Must Have Realized…” – Ramiz Raja Slams Zaka Ashraf For Pre-Planning Babar’s Resignation