Pakistan Became No.1 In ODIs Under Babar Azam By Playing Against Weak Teams - Junaid Khan
Published - 02 Dec 2023, 03:31 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:23 AM
Former Pakistan pacer Junaid Khan expressed that Babar Azam didn’t show improvement as a captain despite leading in all three formats for four years. Junaid Khan mentioned that it was the right decision to remove Babar Azam as the captain of the Pakistan cricket team.
Babar Azam stepped down from the captaincy across all formats of cricket after Pakistan’s disappointing performance in the recent ODI World Cup 2023. Shan Masood has been appointed as the Test captain, and fast bowler Shaheen Afridi will lead the team in T20Is.
Babar Azam Had Not Improved As A Captain – Junaid Khan
Speaking on the Nadir Ali podcast, Junaid Khan emphasized how Sarfaraz Ahmed progressed as a captain, citing their Champions Trophy win and rise to World No. 1 ranking in T20Is.
“Babar had not improved as a captain. If you see Saifi bhai (Sarfaraz Khan), he kept improving day by day. We won the Champions Trophy under his leadership, become World No 1 in the T20Is,” Junaid said on Nadir Shah’s podcast.
“People say we become ODI No 1 team under Babar Azam’s captaincy. But we became No 1 by playing against weak teams. Babar is not a quick learner. He is a world class batter but his captaincy was not up to the mark,” he added.
Need To Show Aggression To Boost The Boys – Junaid Khan
The 33-year-old pointed out that Babar Azam lacked aggression, which is essential to motivating and leading a team effectively. He cited Pat Cummins’ ODI World Cup victory for Australia and Virat Kohli’s successful captaincy despite initial struggles.
“Look at Pat Cummins, he won the ODI World Cup for Australia. He is aggressive, he walks the talk. Virat Kohli also struggled as but he has that aggression. He struggled after MS Dhoni retired, but he still has a good record,” Junaid further stated.
“People will say Dhoni and Stephen Fleming were not aggressive but they know how to lead a side. Babar doesn’t had those traits. You need to show aggression to boost the boys. He has captained all the formats for four years but there was no progress.”
Babar Azam will be next seen in action when Pakistan take on Australia in the three-match series under the leadership of Shan Masood. The first match is scheduled to start on December 14 at Perth Stadium.
Also read: “Babar Azam Has Been A Pleasure To Play Against But…” – Nathan Lyon Says Ahead Of Test Series
