Shoaib Malik lashes out at Babar Azam’s captaincy following US defeat

Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik lashed out at Babar Azam’s captaincy, saying that he has not seen growth or development in Babar’s leadership skills over the past four years.

Malik’s comments came after Pakistan’s loss to the USA in the T20 World Cup 2024.

The former skipper, who played under Babar’s captaincy in the 2021 T20 World Cup, believes that Babar’s approach to captaincy is rigid and inflexible. He argued that Babar tends to stick to his decided plans, even if they don’t work out, and doesn’t adapt to changing situations.

Malik also pointed out that Babar’s batting strategy, including the placement of certain players in specific batting positions, has not changed in four years.

“This captaincy talk, I would like to go into its depth. You [Babar] have set a blockage in your mind, that is the problem. If you have decided that Shadab [Khan] has to bat at a certain number, and Azam [Khan] and Iftikhar [Ahmed] have to bat in the last overs, and you do that exactly, these are the blockages,” said the former skipper.

He emphasized that a good leader should be able to evolve and improve over time, but he hasn’t seen any progress in Babar’s captaincy.

Pakistan, who were the runners-up of T20 World Cup 2022, were handed a crushing defeat by the US in their opening game at the ongoing edition.

The top order of Pakistan including Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman and Usman Khan failed to score big inning.

Azam Khan was sent back to the pavilion on a golden duck as Shadab Khan and Babar Azam helped Pakistan reach a respectable total.

The Men in Green are set to face India on June 9 in New York.