"Babar Azam Should Quit Captaincy After T20 World Cup": Pakistan Greats Issue Stern Message
Former Pakistan cricketers Younis Khan and Kamran Akmal have asked Babar Azam to quit captaincy after T20 World Cup 2022. Babar's captaincy has severely been criticised after Pakistan's twin defeats in the tournament.
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam is a man under the spotlight. Following a string of poor performances, both with the bat and as a captain, the superstar batter has been advised by many greats of Pakistan cricket to contemplate leaving his role as a skipper. While some have directly questioned various decisions that Babar has taken in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022, others feel the pressure of captaincy might be taking a toll on his performance as a batter.
Speaking on ARY News, former Pakistan cricketer Younis Khan and Kamran Akmal made a rather bold plea to Babar Azam, asking him to quit captaincy after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup in Australia.
"If he considers me an elder brother, Babar Azam should quit captaincy after this World Cup. If you want him to score 25,000 runs or 22,000 runs, he should only play as a player. Otherwise, he will come under extreme pressure and his performance will go down.
"If Babar or my uncle understands this, the former should step down as captain. He should focus on his game like Virat Kohli has. He should play for long, as after him, we aren't able to see a batsman as solid as him," said Akmal who is a cousin of Babar.
Akmal also fears that if Babar continues as a captain, he may not be able to continue his performances as a batter for long period.
"If you want him to be the captain of the team, Pakistan cricket will have to bear a big loss as he might not be around for too long (as a batter)," the former wicket-keeper batter opined.
When Younis Khan was asked about his perspective on the topic, he too said that Babar doesn't have the spark that is required to lead a national side.
"We have been talking about Babar Azam's captaincy for long. If you repeat the same mistake, it becomes your habit, maybe you can't focus. If we talk about Babar, he is a top batsman and is a good person who is down to Earth. Leadership qualities aren't there in everyone. Like Kamran Akmal said, there's no spark in his captaincy.
"Leading a club side is a different thing but when you are captaining a nation, you need to be a leader, you need to come out of your skin," Younis, who himself has led Pakistan in the past, said.
Despite what has happened in the T20 World Cup so far, Babar might still be hopeful of leading the Pakistan team to the semi-finals. The equation might be skewed by the hope is not lost for Pakistan.
Pakistan Cricket Team
Babar Azam
Younis Khan
Kamran Akmal