Ex-Pakistan coach asks Babar Azam to relinquish white-ball captaincy

Former coach of Pakistan women’s team Basit Ali has urged Babar Azam to step down from the captaincy of the white-ball team.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former cricketer said that the star player should only concentrate on his batting, rather than carrying the burden of the whole team.

“Babar Azam has made his last century against Nepal in the Asia Cup [2023]. It is a great chance for him to prove himself. To come back in the Test Rankings. And he is not the captain. It is a very good thing. And he should quit the white-ball captaincy as well. He should focus on his batting. He is a premium batsman of Pakistan. So, he should perform well,” Basit Ali added.

As the national side gears up for the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh under the captaincy of Shan Masood, Ali said that the series presented a good opportunity for the right-handed batter to reclaim his place in the ICC Test Rankings.

With Shan Masood set to lead Pakistan in the upcoming home Test series, Basit Ali urged him to make bold and independent decisions to win games for Pakistan.

“He [Shan] should not think like that if he is a premium batter or a premium bowler, then I will give him a soft corner. No. He must take decisions that are good for Pakistan. Not out of fear. Out of bravery. Then the cricket will look good, and they will perform better,” he said.

The former cricketer slammed the “overpromising and underdelivering” culture in the Pakistan cricket.

“In the last 2-3 years, we have played a lot of talkative cricket. We will win the World Cup. We will win the Asia Cup. We will play in the finals in India. It was all talkative cricket. Now, it is time to deliver. Shan Masood becomes the Test captain again after the Australia series, so he will now have to make his own decisions,” Basit Ali said.