USA vs PAK: 'Captaincy doesn't sit well...' - Ricky Ponting's bold verdict on Babar Azam might stun PCB

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting shared his views on Pakistan captain Babar Azam's captaincy and its impact on his performance, as he is gearing up to lead the Men in Green for the third time in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Pakistan faced setbacks with disappointing results leading up to the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and Caribbean. The Pakistan cricket team suffered an embarrassing loss against Ireland in a T20I, followed by a 0-2 T20I series defeat against England, just before the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.

Babar Azam's captaincy and performance slammed by Ricky Ponting

Earlier, Pakistan drew a T20I series at 2-2 against New Zealand at home. Notably, Babar was removed from Pakistan’s captaincy after last year's ODI World Cup in India. However, the stylish batter was reinstated as the white-ball skipper earlier this year, replacing Shaheen Shah Afridi, after changes in Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials.

As Pakistan set to kick off their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign against the co-hosts, the USA on June 6 in Texas, Ponting, one of the greatest captains and batters of all time, emphasized that captaincy isn't suited for everyone, and it seems that Babar is among them, as his numbers went down lately.

Ponting said that while some great players excel in leadership roles, others struggle to balance their individual performances with the captaincy. He pointed out that the best players often focus solely on improving their game, whereas captains must juggle various responsibilities, so Babar will have to take care of his own game along with looking after his team.

Ricky Ponting delivers verdict on Babar Azam's captaincy

Ricky Ponting was quoted as saying by ICC: “Captaincy just sits well with some people and it doesn't sit well with others. We've seen it through the years that some of the best players that have ever played the game have not necessarily made the best captains, and the thing that makes some of the very best players so good is how focused they are on what they need to do to get better and to be the best and find a way every day to get better.”

Recently, Pakistani players Ahmed Shehzad and Imam-ul-Haq were involved in a heated exchange on a live TV show over Babar’s captaincy ahead of the team's first T20 World Cup 2024 match, as he has not yet won an ICC trophy.

Well, Ponting stressed the significance of captains learning from their mistakes. He suggested that Babar must also address his shortcomings, considering his recent decline in performance as a batter.

He signed off by saying, “And when you are captain, you can't do that. You've got to actually compartmentalize what you're doing, look after your own game, look after all the guys around you. So, some guys can manage that better than others. I reckon Babar, when he first started, I had that feeling that he... because if you look at his record, his numbers went down on the back of it. So, I think he might have learned a bit from that.”