Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) newly appointed chairman Ramiz Raja feels it's "too early" for him to assess Babar Azam but pointed that he has similar expectation from the Pakistan skipper as he saw with Imran Khan. Ramiz Raja, the 1992 World Cup-winning player, was on Monday elected unanimously and unopposed as the PCB's 36th Chairman for a three-year term. Ramiz also said it's important for him to know Babar first and also his new role before making any decision in the future. "It's too early for me to assess him. It's important for me to know him better. It's similarly important for me to understand the role. You (as captain) tend to make many demands, some good but others which you need to make a persuasive case for," ESPNcricinfo quoted Ramiz as saying.
"I did a couple of sessions with him and told him that if you don't have 400 autograph hunters outside the academy then the whole objective to play cricket has failed."
"I want a leadership like the one I played under in my era. My expectations for Babar are the same as I had with Imran Khan," he added.
Also, former Australia batsman Matthew Hayden and former South Africa pacer Vernon Philander were appointed batting and bowling coaching consultants for the Pakistan team on Monday.
In a bid to further strengthen the age-group structure and ensure that young cricketers are fully equipped for modern-day cricket, Ramiz Raja also announced plans to launch a U19 T20 league to develop cricketers from the nascent stages.