Legendary cricketer Younis Khan has named two players who can replace Babar Azam as Pakistan’s captain in white-ball cricket. Younis feels that Mohammad Rizwan or Fakhar Zaman should be considered for this role.
Recently, Babar Azam stepped down as captain of Pakistan in the white-ball formats to focus more on his batting. Babar’s decision did not come as a surprise as Pakistan had performed poorly under his captaincy in recent months.
There was already pressure on Pakistan’s star batsman to resign from the position and he finally resigned. This is the second time in a year that Babar Azam has resigned as captain of Pakistan. Prior to this, he had also stepped down from the position after the 2023 ODI World Cup, in which Pakistan failed to reach the semi-finals.
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Younis Khan names Babar Azam’s replacements as Pakistan white-ball captain
Younis Khan was asked about Babar Azam’s resignation during an event in Australia where he received an honor at the iconic Adelaide Oval. He received an official South Australian Redbacks cap from Mark Cosgrove, who is the South Australian Cricket Association’s high performance coach.
During the event, Younis Khan felt that it is a good decision for Babar Azam to step down from the captaincy as it will now allow him to focus more on his batting. He named Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman as the players who can replace Babar in this role.
“Stepping away from captaincy will be beneficial for Babar Azam. In our culture, we often make the most important player captain, which I think is a mistake. Mohammad Rizwan or Fakhar Zaman should be considered for the role,” Younis told the journalists in the field.
Younis Khan on Jason Gillespie as Pakistan coach
The former Pakistan batsman also spoke about Jason Gillespie as Pakistan’s head coach in Test cricket. He stated that Gillespie is working hard to improve the Pakistan team but the selection process needs to improve.
“I have played cricket with Jason Gillespie; He is working hard to improve the Pakistan team. However, better decisions need to be made when it comes to selection,” Younis added.
Jason Gillespie is a well-known name in South Australian cricket and is a local player in this part of the world. He has played a lot of cricket at the Adelaide Oval during his playing days.
Pakistan’s white-ball tour of Australia
Pakistan will tour Australia for an ODI and T20I series against the home team in November this year. Younis expects Pakistan to perform well on this tour but admitted that they have a no. of problems in equipment selection that must be resolved quickly.
“I hope the Pakistan men’s cricket team performs well in Australia. The current team includes young players, and there are certainly some issues with team selection that need to be addressed,” he felt.
Pakistan’s tour of Australia will begin from November 4. Both Australia and Pakistan will first play a three-match ODI series, which will be followed by a three-match T20I series. Adelaide Oval will host the second ODI of this series. The tour will end on November 18 in Hobart.
Pakistan are yet to name a new captain in white-ball formats. A decision is expected soon, with Mohammad Rizwan one of the biggest contenders for the job. Rizwan has been a consistent performer in the team and also has a good track record of leading his team in the PSL.