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Following Pakistan’s early elimination from the major tournament, former captain Shoaib Malik attacked Babar Azam’s leadership style and his inability to take the team to victory. If Malik had been in Babar’s position, he would have stepped down from the position to concentrate more on his batting, says the captain of Pakistan during the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007.
With a slim three-wicket victory over Ireland, Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign came to an end. The Men in Green had one of their poorest T20 World Cup campaigns ever after losing two of their four group-stage games and missing out on the Super Eights.
In an interview with Ten Sports, Malik expressed his opinion that Babar Azam’s batting performance has suffered as a result of the captaincy duties. “I believe I would step down from captaincy right away and concentrate on my cricket,” he declared.
The seasoned all-rounder claimed he turned down a second captaincy offer because he wanted to improve as a player. Notably, Babar Azam was brought back into the post of captain of Pakistan’s white-ball team earlier this year. The 29-year-old had resigned from the position due to the team’s disappointing results in the ODI World Cup.
I was offered the captaincy once more for a year, roughly between 2009 and 2010, but I turned it down because I wanted to concentrate on my cricket. Not that I’m saying this for kicks. Malik continued, “His numbers also convey a narrative.
Babar hasn’t become a better leader: Shoaib Malik
Babar’s batting statistics show that, in 38 T20 innings played as a non-skipper, he averages 48.48. The number falls to 37.28 in 77 innings thus far when leadership responsibilities are taken on.
The experienced all-rounder also mentioned that Babar’s captaincy did not see any notable advancements or improvements. The Sialkot native stated that Babar had led the squad in multiple significant tournaments but had fallen short of expectations, and hence he did not deserve to remain as the captain of the national team.
Also read: T20 World Cup 2024: Pakistan vs Ireland, 36th Match – Who Said What?
“He should have carried on, without a doubt, if his leadership abilities as a team member improved. However, none have occurred. The captain is the one who brings out the best in the players. “He captained in two Asia Cups, an ODI World Cup, and three T20 World Cups, and he won nothing,” the 42-year-old said.
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