Shahid Afridi asks Babar Azam to take tough decision of quitting captaincy in T20s
Pakistan had a topsy-turvy run in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2022. The Men in Green finished as the runners-up in the mega event and it looks like a pretty successful campaign from the outside. However, the reality is way different as Pakistan rode their luck to reach the final as they were almost eliminated from the Super 12 stage after losing to India and Zimbabwe.
However, the Netherlands did them a massive favour by defeating South Africa as Pakistan got a chance to qualify for the semifinals. Pakistan’s bowling did a wonderful job throughout the tournament but their batting let them down massively. Moreover, the form of their skipper Babar Azam turned out to be the biggest worry for the Asian giants.
Not only for his sub-standard batting, but Babar Azam also faced a lot of criticism for his captaincy as well. From giving the final over to Mohammad Nawaz against India to not bowling him at all on the turning surface in the final against England, the Pakistan skipper missed many tricks during the tournament.
Now, the former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi has advised Babar Azam to quit the captaincy in the T20s to focus on his batting. Azam could only score 134 runs in the T20 World Cup 2022 at a miserable strike rate of 93.23.
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Shahid Afridi advises Babar Azam to quit the T20 captaincy to focus on longer formats
In an interview with the Pakistani news channel Samaa TV, the legendary Pakistan all-rounder asked Babar Azam to quit Pakistan’s captaincy in the shorter format of the game. He also asked Babar to relinquish the captaincy duties of his franchise in the Pakistan Super League.
“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,” said Shahid Afridi.
The former Pakistan skipper also added that Babar should focus on scoring runs and captaining the Pakistan team in ODIs and Tests. He also named Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, and Shan Masood as the potential captaincy candidate in T20Is.
“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,” concluded Shahid Afridi.
