Pakistan Legend Concerned Misbah-ul-Haq Will Make Babar Azam 'Defensive'

Pakistan legend Aamer Sohail has said he is concerned Misbah-ul-Haq will turn Babar Azam into a defensive captain like him. Babar Azam was named Pakistan’s T20I captain last year and took charge of the ODI team in May this year. He is also likely to be named Test captain sooner rather than later.

Babar Azam replaced Sarfaraz Ahmed as Pakistan’s limited-overs captain. The captaincy just caps a meteoric rise for him over the last year, in which he has been one of the world’s leading batsmen across formats. And as Babar Azam gears up to show the world his leadership skills, Sohail has expressed his apprehensions.

The former Pakistan captain noted that Misbah was criticised during his career “for being a defensive captain” and urged the latter not to lead Babar Azam down the same path.

“If Babar has been identified as Pakistan’s captain in at least 2 formats of the game, then it’s incumbent upon the PCB to help him become the best captain he can be,” Sohail wrote in his blog for PakPassion. “This can be achieved by identifying any weaknesses in his leadership qualities and by good mentoring.”

“But if Misbah is to be Babar’s mentor, then we have a problem because he was himself criticised for being a defensive captain. The onus is on Misbah to be honest about his own deficiencies as a captain and to make sure that Babar does not make the same mistakes he made, especially when it comes to making sure that the younger players are given good chances to ensure a brighter future for Pakistan cricket,” he added.

Pakistan, meanwhile, are currently preparing for the series against England which starts next month. The team is already in England. Pakistan are scheduled to play three Tests and three T20 Internationals against England, with the first Test starting on August 5 and the T20 series beginning on August 28.

After spending 14 days in isolation in Worcester, the Pakistan team arrived in Derby on Monday, where they will continue preparing for the England series. The Men in Green will travel to Manchester on August 1 prior to the start of the Test series.

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