Mohammad Asif picks the only one World Class batsman from Pakistan

Former Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Asif extended his support to the white-ball captain Babar Azam amid scrutiny over his captaincy and criticism about his form as a batter. Babar is going through a dry run and looks down on confidence with the runs not coming from his bat.

The stylish right-hander has not been able to play an impactful knock for a long time now for the Pakistan Cricket Team. However, despite Babar’s poor batting and captaincy at the T20 World Cup 2024, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) remains silent on whether he will continue as captain.

Babar Azam must lead with bat, not captaincy politics

Amid the talks about Babar’s future as captain and his form with the bat, Asif said that Azam is the backbone of the Pakistan Cricket Team, and without him scoring the runs, the team can’t put up string runs on the board.

He added that Babar is the best batter in the Pakistan team presently. The former cricketer also expressed his surprise at why Babar is running after the captaincy, as he is already the leader of the team and the players revolve around him.

Asif suggested that Babar should leave the captaincy and focus on his batter, as he can excel at any position in the international arena while addressing different notions about the skipper’s reluctance to drop himself into the batting order.

Furthermore, Asif said that Babar is a senior player, and he has to take along the young players around him if he wants to improve the Pakistan team’s performance and stretch his career. He also mentioned that the ongoing politics can’t harm Babar’s international career.

Babar Azam should quit captaincy, focus on batting: Mohammad Asif

Mohammad Asif told Aftab Iqbal on his YouTube channel: “To be honest, we have only one world-class batter at this time, and he is Babar Azam. He can help the team finish on a good note. The PCB made Shaheen Afridi the captain and then made Babar the captain. Babar is above the captain. I don't know what he is running after the captaincy. Why does he care about the captaincy? He is the leader who keeps the team in his own round.”

Asif further dismissed the notion that the right-handed batter is afraid of losing his place at the top of the batting order, as once he leaves his circle, the batter has just disappeared.

The former willy Pakistan pacer said, “Babar is the backbone of the team. He can bat in any position, and he will manage it. He will practice it. Even if he plays outside the circle, if he is not a captain, he can play. I don't understand why he is being dragged into politics. I don't know. I don't understand.

When he is reading all these things, he should not do this. I am saying that he is above the captain. He will have to take along the young players around him if he wants to improve the performance of the team and if he wants to play for a long time. I don’t think he will lose his career in such politics.”

“Babar Azam is the backbone and the only player who will score and team will reach a good total, I don’t know why he is after captaincy.” Mohammad Asif

“Babar Azam is scared he will be exposed if he bats after the powerplay.” Aftab Iqbal

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— Abu Bakar Tarar (@abubakartarar_) July 17, 2024