Published: Nov 18, 2022, 02:05 PM (IST)
Edited: Nov 18, 2022, 02:06 PM (IST)
Karachi: Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi has advised Babar Azam to step down as Pakistan T20I captain. Afridi said that he has huge respect for Babar Azam and doesn’t want him to take the pressure of leading the team in all formats of the game. Afridi said that Babar should continue leading the team in ODIs and Tests but should quit the T20I captaincy.
Afridi also wants Babar to ignore the leadership duties of Peshawar Zalmi in the upcoming edition of the Pakistan Super League. Notably, Babar ended his long association with Karachi Kings and joined Zalmi for the next PSL season.
Babar is one of the top batters in world cricket, but his recent performances have raised concerns if leading the team in all-three formats is taking a toll on him. Babar had a mediocre outing in the T20 World Cup 2022, scoring just 124 runs in 7 matches at a strike-rate of 93.
“Babar was not happy with the management at Karachi Kings as it is. I feel he should take a tough call and quit captaincy in T20 cricket. He should focus on his batting and lead the team in Tests and one-dayers,” Afridi said in an interview with Sama TV.
Afridi added that vice-captain Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan or Shan Masood can take over as Pakistan T20I captain.
“I respect Babar a lot and that’s why I don’t want him to take the pressure of captaincy in T20 cricket. I want him to focus on his captaincy in longer formats. You do have players like Shadab, Rizwan and even Shan Masood who can lead the team in the T20 format,” Afridi added.
