During Pakistan’s dismal domestic season, batter Babar Azam came under fire for his leadership.
While Babar Azam, Pakistan’s top batter in ODIs, has been under fire for his leadership during the team’s disappointing home season, chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq said on Wednesday that the team would be wise to have a backup captaincy option in case Azam falters. Babar was named captain of all Pakistani teams in December 2020. When discussing the best batsmen in the world right now, Babar Azam’s name almost always comes up first. His elegant style of play has earned him comparisons to cricket greats like the celebrated Indian batsman Virat Kohli.
All formats, according to Inzamam-ul-Haq, need a single captain who can make informed player selections. The captain can now make a decision about who to carry.
See, it’s not ideal to have a lot of captains come and go. When I was chief selector before, Sarfaraz Ahmed wasn’t the captain of all three forms, but he eventually became the captain in every format. I think Babar is doing a fantastic job as captain. Therefore, if he participates in all three formats, I believe there should be just one captain. Therefore, he should be aware of the necessary steps to advance his team. But this captaincy does not fall under my jurisdiction, Inzamam-ul-Haq remarked at a press conference.
As of now, the 28-year-old Pakistan captain has appeared in 104 T20Is, 100 ODIs, and 49 Tests. In all three, he shines brightly. He has scored 12346 runs at the highest level thus far, including 30 centuries.
When discussing Babar Azam’s ODI performance, it is important to note the high standards he has set for himself in this format. Even more so now that he is the best batsman in One-Day Internationals. Babar’s form in the 50-over format has been practically flawless, as he has scored over 5000 runs at an average of nearly 60.
Babar will be leading the Pakistan team in the forthcoming ODI series against Afghanistan and the Asia Cup.
Inzamam-ul-Haq had earlier announced a 17-man squad for the 2019 ACC Men’s Asia Cup. The Asia Cup will begin on August 30, and on September 2 in Kandy, Sri Lanka, bitter rivals India and Pakistan will face off. Four games will be held in Pakistan while all nine games will be played in Ireland. This is a hybrid format for the competition.
Pakistan’s squad for Asia Cup: Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (captain), Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Tayyab Tahir, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Haris, Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Mohammad Nawaz and Usama Mir, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, and Shaheen Afridi.
