Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik has urged Babar Azam to relinquish captaincy and focus on his batting following Pakistan’s dismal performance in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
Many expected Babar Azam to redeem himself as a batsman and captain in the ongoing T20 World Cup. The star batsman had a disastrous campaign as captain in the ODI World Cup last year. After Pakistan failed to advance to the league stage, he resigned as captain and was replaced by Shaheen Afridi as T20 captain.
However, he was reinstated as captain earlier this year but has not really justified the decision so far. In his first series as captain since his reinstatement, Pakistan drew the five-match series against New Zealand at home. Last month, they lost a T20I against Ireland before being whitewashed 2-0 by England.
Shoaib Malik’s advice for Babar Azam:
The fortunes of Babar Azam and his team have also not changed much in the ongoing T20 World Cup. They began their campaign with a shock defeat against the United States before suffering a humiliating defeat against arch-rival India. Chasing 120 runs against India, Pakistan finished their innings at 113 for 7 with Babar scoring just 13 runs.
Since Babar has failed to live up to expectations as a batsman of late, Shoaib Malik has advised him to step down as captain. Speaking on Ten Sports, the former all-rounder said Babar could show his class with the bat only if he is freed from the burden of captaincy.
“I have been saying for a long time that you should not take the captain’s position. You are a class player and your true class will only shine when you do not have additional responsibilities. It is better that you stay away from the captaincy. I have been saying this for a long time “Malik said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan will face Canada on Tuesday (June 11) in their third match of the T20 World Cup. They will have to win the match at all costs to keep their slim chances of advancing to the group stage alive.