"What I've seen..." - Naveen-ul-Haq delivers huge verdict on Babar Azam's captaincy

Afghanistan fast-bowler Naveen-ul-Haq has praised the captaincy of Babar Azam. The right-arm pacer is currently plying his trade for Peshawar Zalmi in the ongoing Pakistan Super League 2024 (PSL 2024).

Babar is leading the Peshawar-based outfit. Zalmi are currently at the third spot in the points table with three wins and as many losses. They began their campaign with defeats against Quetta Gladiators and Karachi Kings before beating Multan Sultans by five runs to open their account.

It was followed by wins over Lahore Qalandars and Islamabad United before their sixth game was abandoned due to rain. Incidentally, Naveen-ul-Haq did not play in the first two games of the season that the Zalmi lost and has played in all the three games that they won. In those three games, the Afghanistan star has picked up five wickets.

Naveen-ul-Haq praises Babar Azam:

Speaking on a podcast on the team’s YouTube channel, Naveen-ul-Haq was all praises for the way Babar has led the team so far. He called Babar ‘very chilled, very relaxed’ and said that he and his teammates are enjoying the experience of playing under the former Pakistan captain’s captaincy.

“From what I have seen, [he is] very chilled, very relaxed. At this stage, you cannot say things to your bowlers or fielders at every instance, you have to step up whenever it is required. All this can be seen [in Babar’s captaincy], we are all enjoying much under his captaincy,” said Naveen-ul-Haq.

Speaking on his personal rapport with Babar, Naveen-ul-Haq said that he finds it very easy to communicate with the Zalmi captain.

“Communication with Babar is very easy, we are both very calm personalities, and there have been no problems between us so far. I believe that when you are calm on the field, it benefits your team. There comes a time when you are having difficulty on the field or you lose, that time you need a leader who remains calm and keeps the team intact,” said Naveen.

“If your captain starts to get aggressive and hyper, then it becomes difficult for the entire team. In our first [PSL] match in Multan, I observed that Babar bhai was very calm, everything has been good,” he added.

Zalmi will be in action next on Monday (March 4) when they take on Islamabad United in a crucial clash.