Cricket News

Pakistan legend doesn’t want Babar Azam to continue T20I captaincy after 20-20 World Cup final loss

England beat Pakistan by five wickets in the final of 20-20 World Cup 2022.

Nov 17, 2022 7:53 pm

Pakistan lost the final of the 20-20 World Cup 2022 on Sunday against England as they failed to defend their score of 137. Following Pakistan’s loss, former Pakistan Cricketer Shahid Afridi has asked Babar Azam to resign as the captain of the team. After losing their first two matches against India and Zimbabwe, Pakistan were on the brink of elimination from the mega event. However, South Africa’s loss against the Netherlands in their last fixture gave them a miraculous entry into the semi-finals.

Babar had a forgettable time with the bat in the entire tournament as he could only manage to get one half-century across seven innings. Speaking about Babar’s miserable run in the 20-20 World Cup as a leader of the side on SAMAA TV, Afridi suggested the star player to step down as the leader of Pakistan.

“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,” Afridi said.

Babar, who has ruled the T20I batters’ rankings for the past three years, could only manage to score 124 runs in 7 matches at the World Cup. Afridi opined that white-ball specialists Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan and Shan Masood are leading candidates to replace a struggling Babar as the T20I captain.

“I respect Babar a lot”: Afridi

“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.

Meanwhile, after the 20-20 World Cup, Pakistan will resume their international calendar as they host England for a three-match Test series starting from 1^st December.

After England, the ‘Men-in-Green’ will go head-to-head against New Zealand in two Tests and three ODIS. Babar will be eager to make a roaring comeback with the bat in the upcoming matches.