Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi offered his support to Babar Azam, who is undergoing a rough patch as captain, especially in red-ball cricket. Afridi feels that all of the blame for the team’s recent failures should not fall solely on the captain’s shoulders
Babar recently got on the wrong side of the record book after becoming the first Pakistan captain to lose four home Tests in a row.
The Men in Green have now lost successive Test series against Australia and England in Pakistan. Moreover, England beat them 3-0 in the three-match series, thereby handing Pakistan their first-ever Test whitewash on home soil.
Babar, who was appointed as captain in 2020, was criticized for his tactics as England outplayed them in all three Tests.
Opining that the mindset of the captain and the management has to change in order to overturn Pakistan’s fortunes, Afridi told Samaa TV:
“This (replacing Babar as captain) is not the solution. The mindset of the captain needs to be changed. Management needs to change the mindset, they need to demand a certain style of cricket from the captain and his team. If you have to take the Pakistan team to the top, you need to change Babar’s mindset.”
Afridi continued:
“It’s not only his mistake or responsibility. The management also has the responsibility, they are so much more senior. They need to make the players understand on the style of cricket they expect from them. So, if only Babar is being held responsible for this debacle, it would be very unfair.”
Following the series defeat against England, Pakistan’s chances of making it to the World Test Championship (WTC) final are as good as over.
“First comes Pakistan, then follows the rest” – Babar Azam on criticism surrounding his captaincy
While Babar Azam led the white-ball side to the finals of the 2022 Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup 2022, his credentials as a Test captain have taken a serious hit following a poor set of results.
After a 1-0 loss against Australia at home in March 2022, Pakistan drew 1-1 with Sri Lanka away from home in July 2022. Although Pakistan tasted white-ball success in the second half of the year, England handed them a humbling result.
Addressing the ongoing criticism over his Test captaincy, Babar said in a press conference after the series against England:
“The second point which you mentioned, there is no such pressure. In fact, I enjoy that. And it does not affect my batting at all. It been an honour. I always try to give my best for the country. First comes Pakistan, then follows the rest.”
Pakistan will next host New Zealand for two Tests and three ODIs. The first Test will start in Karachi on December 26.
Should the ace batter continue as Pakistan Test captain? Let us know what you think.
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