PAK vs IRE: Michael Vaughan calls for Babar Azam's sacking; backs ex-Pakistan captain to take the charge

Former England cricketer Michael Vaughan suggested a bold change in Pakistan's leadership after their disappointing start in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. Michael Vaughan stated that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) should reappoint left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi as captain of the national cricket team.

The Babar Azam-led team had a horrible start in the T20 World Cup as they suffered a loss to the United States of America (USA) in their first match. The Men in Green failed to beat their archrivals, India, in a low-scoring encounter. However, they bounced back to secure a victory against Canada in their recent match.

The Pakistan team will face Ireland in their last group stage match at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground in Florida on Sunday, June 16. They must win their upcoming match to stay in the race for the Super 8 stage. The team needs to surpass the net run rate (NRR) of the United States of America.

They Need To Go Back To Shaheen Afridi - Michael Vaughan

Speaking on the Club Prairie Fire podcast, Michael Vaughan suggested that Pakistan should reinstate Shaheen Shah Afridi as the team's captain. Vaughan stated that Pakistan should sack Babar Azam mid-match, adding that Pakistan are favorites to deliver that kind of sacking.

"I think they need to go back to Shaheen (as captain). Clearly, they are a better team when they're juggling the captaincy around a bit. If there was ever a team in the history of cricket to do that kind of a thing (sacking captain) mid-match, Pakistan are favorites to deliver that kind of sacking," Vaughan said.

Shaheen Afridi became Pakistan's T20I captain last year following Pakistan's disappointing campaign in the 2023 ODI World Cup under Babar Azam's leadership. Babar announced his resignation as the team's captain across all three formats. Shaheen led the Pakistan team in a five-match T20I series in New Zealand.

Babar was reinstated as the team's skipper in white-ball formats after a management change in the Pakistan Cricket Board. However, his return to the captaincy has been challenging. Pakistan drew a five-match T20I series against New Zealand at home. They suffered a loss in a four-match T20I series against England.

Pakistan Just Cannot Beat India - Michael Vaughan

Michael Vaughan stated that Pakistan seems to have lost the confidence to defeat India. Vaughan noted that Pakistan struggled to chase a target of 120 against India, highlighting a lack of belief in their ability to win against their arch-rivals.

"Pakistan just cannot beat India. They are chasing 120. It was an iffy pitch. Probably it did more when India were batting. It was a more of a sticky-stoppy motion when India were batting. When Pakistan were batting, actually the pitch played okay and they still couldn't get 120. My fundamental summary is Pakistan do not believe they can beat India," Vaughan added.

Also read: Pakistan Cricket Board identifies these 6 players to kick out from the Pakistan team after T20 World Cup 2024