Shahid Afridi explains why Babar Azam should give up Pakistan’s T20I captaincy

Pakistan had a memorable campaign in the recently-concluded T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. The Men in Green lost two of their initial games in the Super 12 stage and were on the verge of getting knocked out of the tournament.

However, things turned dramatically as South Africa lost their game against Netherlands, which allowed Pakistan to make it to the semis if they defeated Bangladesh, which they did and booked a match against New Zealand. Pakistan then knocked out New Zealand and secured a birth in the final. But their luck didn’t favour this time as England defeated them in the summit clash to clinch the title.

Following the loss in the final, former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has urged Babar Azam to give up captaincy in the shortest format and focus on leading the side in the ODIs and Tests. Afridi said he doesn’t want Babar to carry the extra burden of captaincy across all three formats.

“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 Afridi while speaking on Sama TV.

Notably, the Pakistan skipper has been one of the leading run-getters in world cricket. He is the only player to be rated in the top 3 across all formats, but his poor form in the T20 World Cup 2022 raised concerns. Babar only managed 124 runs in 7 matches at a strike rate of just 93. Afridi said he respects Babar and suggested the Pakistan squad has the likes of Shadab Khan or Mohammad Rizwan, who could take up captaincy in T20I cricket.

“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.

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November 19, 2022 at 08:32AM