On failing to get into the semi-finals of ODI World Cup 2023, Babar Azam relinquished his duties as captain in all three formats of cricket. He was replaced by Shaheen Shah Afridi as captain for T20Is, while Shan Masood took over the leadership mantle of the Test team. The new leadership hasn’t brought in success straightaway. Under Masood, Pakistan had lost 0-3 in its series against Australia, and the Shaheen-led T20I squad was outclassed by New Zealand in the five-match T20I series.
Coming straight to the point, on the back of these losses, the management had reinstated Babar as the T20I captain, but this move saw Pakistan get eliminated in the group stage at the recently held T20 World Cup. After which, Babar received a great deal of flak for that performance. Amidst that, former cricketer Shoaib Malik has urged Babar to relinquish his captaincy duties for once and focus on his batting.
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Shoaib Malik said that performance fluctuation is part and parcel of a cricketer’s life, particularly in the subcontinent. He added that if Babar stepped down from the leadership roles, he could again become a valuable asset for the team by scoring his runs.
“Ups and downs are a part of life, particularly for a subcontinental cricketer. He needs to behave strong in this period. As far as his captaincy is concerned, I have a very strong stand; he should play only as a player. That’s my opinion. When he plays as a player, he can do wonders for the team. But in my opinion, he should stay away from leadership,” Shoaib Malik said in an interview with Cricket Passion.
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Malik further said Fakhar Zaman could be an ideal candidate for white-ball captaincy. He said Zaman understands modern fearless cricket and has leadership capacity. “According to today’s fearless cricket, Fakhar Zaman should be considered for white-ball captaincy because he has the sense and leadership capacity for it,” Malik added.
The recommendation brings out the need for strategic changes in the team that would tap into the potential of the players for improved performance.
