Pakistan T20I Skipper Babar Azam Wants To Emulate Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson In Captain's Role

Babar Azam, Pakistan's newly appointed T20I captain, earmarked India captain Virat Kohli and New Zealand skipper Kane Williamsons as players he wants to emulate in his new role. Sarfaraz Ahmed was removed from captaincy after Pakistan's 0-3 T20I series defeat at home to Sri Lanka and Babar Azam, who was the vice-captain in the limited overs formats for Pakistan, was named T20I captain while Azhar Ali was given the role in Tests. Azam said that the leadership role would not have a negative bearing on his own form, citing Kohli and Williamson as examples of captains who also consistently delivered strong performances.

"People judged in three matches (against Sri Lanka) that my performance suffered because I was vice-captain," Babar Azam told ESPNCricinfo. "That's not how it works. In the game of cricket, you have ups and downs, and that was a poor series for us, no question. I give 120% for the team in every single match, and I don't see why there would be any added pressure on me just because I'm captain. I'll continue to play as I always have, and I'm sure the performances will come," he said.

"I'm looking to get a performance out of my team, as well as my individual performances. I look at current captains like Kane Williamson and Virat Kohli, and how well they manage their own form along with bringing results to the team. I'll try to emulate them," the 24-year-old said ahead of Pakistan's tour of Australia.

Pakistan take on Australia in three T20Is and two Test matches in November.

Babar Azam's poor show in the T20I series against Sri Lanka was a minor blip in what has otherwise been a great year for the batsman.

He became the fastest Pakistan batsman to reach 1,000 ODI runs in a calendar year, when he scored a 105-ball 115 against Sri Lanka in the recent ODI series. He was also phenomenal in the World Cup, scoring 474 runs, including a crucial century against finalists New Zealand.

Topics mentioned in this article

Babar Azam Virat Kohli Kane Williamson Pakistan Cricket Team Cricket