Shoaib Malik recommends Babar Azam to step down as captain because “pressure on him will be limited to his batting”

Shoaib Malik, a former Pakistan captain, recommended Babar Azam give up the captaincy so he could concentrate more on his batting. The announcements follow a great deal of rumor and debate on the personnel changes and having a new skipper in all formats.

The PCB was also considering the concept of revisiting the team’s organizational structure, which included the change in captaincy after Najam Sethi assumed the chairmanship in December 2022.

Former cricketer Shoaib Malik suggested Babar resign from the position and concentrate on his career because of the conflicting views on his captaincy that have been making news.

“Babar Azam is a fantastic batter, but it’s unfair to compare his leadership skills and batting prowess on a par. Babar Azam will be able to set additional records on a global scale as a result of his decision to step down from his position, according to Malik, who was speaking on the Geo News show “Score.”

Because Babar Azam is our star player, we kept him as captain. JAMIM SETI

Pakistan had a miserable home season in 2022–23, losing 3-0 in Tests and 4–3 in T20Is to England, drawing 0-0 in a Test series, and losing 2-1 in an ODI series to New Zealand. When the hitter last played in the 50-over format in just five matches in 2019, the PCB quickly appointed Shan Masood as the vice captain in ODIs after Sethi assumed leadership of the position.

In addition, the management decided to rest the team’s starting lineup against Afghanistan, which included Shadab Khan as captain and Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, and Shaheen Afridi. The Men in Green, on the other hand, dropped the three-match T20I series by a score of 2-1 and are now in the middle of the five-match T20I series with New Zealand.

Despite the rumors, Najam Sethi denied that Babar had been removed as captain and claimed that the media had ‘talked’ the captain’s future extensively.

Since Babar is our star player, we have decided to keep him as captain for the time being. We have nothing to do with the frequent media discussion of his captaincy, Sethi stated in an interview.