"If Mohammad Rizwan is made captain...": Ex-cricketer's stunning claim on Babar Azam's return to form

Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali reckons that Babar Azam will start scoring runs if Pakistan appoint Mohammad Rizwan as the captain. Basit also feels that Pakistan can beat England in the upcoming Test series next month if Mohammad Rizwan leads the side.

Shan Masood is Pakistan's current Test captain. Under his leadership, Pakistan have lost five out of five matches so far, which involves the recent 0-2 series defeat to Bangladesh at home. He has been under tremendous pressure and has received backlash for Pakistan's poor performance.

Pakistan will next play England in a three-match Test series. The series will be important to Pakistan as their chances to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) final are in serious danger.

Also read: Brendon McCullum demands urgent clarity as PAK vs ENG Tests face risk of being shifted

Basit Ali believes Babar Azam will start scoring runs if Mohammad Rizwan is given the captaincy

While speaking on his YouTube channel, Basit Ali asked for Mohammad Rizwan to be Pakistan's new Test captain and replace Shan Masood for the role. Basit even claimed that Babar Azam would return back to form and Pakistan would win the Test series against England if Rizwan is chosen as the captain.

"Pakistan will win the Test series against England if Mohammad Rizwan is made the captain. You will see a different Babar Azam in the England series, but the condition is that the captain should be Rizwan," Basit said.

During the series against Bangladesh, Shan Masood's performance with the bat wasn't great as well. The left-hander managed just 105 runs in four innings at an average of 26.25 with the best of 57. While he tried to play with intent, he failed to score a big one as Pakistan's batting struggled throughout the series.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Rizwan was the lone warrior for Pakistan in the whole series. The wicketkeeper-batter scored 294 runs in four innings at an average of 98 with one fifty and one hundred. Mohammad Rizwan's excellence with the bat and gloves was enough to impress Basit Ali for the role of Pakistan's Test captaincy.

Joe Root's recent form

Basit Ali also spoke about Joe Root's chances to break the record of Sachin Tendulkar for the highest run-scorers in Test cricket. Basit claimed that Tendulkar has a different stature and Root won't be able to break his record.

"Joe Root has always performed against Sri Lanka. The English media have been saying that Root will break Sachin Tendulkar's record. He won't break that record. If he scores a century against Pakistan, I won't spare the bowlers. Tendulkar's stature is different, he was a very big player," the former Pakistan batter added.

Joe Root has been in phenomenal form against Sri Lanka recently. He has scored 350 runs in two Tests at an average of 116.66 and two hundreds. The right-hander scored twin hundreds at Lord's during the second Test.

After the current series against Sri Lanka, Root's next assignment will be the Test series in Pakistan. Given the flat nature of pitches in the country and Pakistan's underperforming bowling attack, Root has a chance to add more tons to his tally.