Ramiz Raja: “If Babar does well in T20 cricket, he might well go on to become the captain of the Test side as well”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja believes that batsman Babar Azam could be named the country’s Test captain at some point in the future.

Ramiz’s prediction comes after Azam replaced Sarfaraz Ahmed as Pakistan’s T20 captain.

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In regards to the Test team, Azhar Ali succeeded Sarfaraz as captain.

“It is a good and brave decision by PCB to appoint Babar as captain because you need young leadership, as it is in line with T20 cricket’s requirements,” Ramiz was quoted as saying by cricketpakistan.com.pk.

“If Babar does well in T20 cricket, he might well go on to become the captain of the Test side as well.”

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While Ramiz was pleased with Azam’s appointment as Twenty20 captain, he questioned the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision to name Azhar Test captain.

“Azhar is a stopgap captain because he will always be under pressure, bearing in mind his recent form and fitness,” he said. “He also struggled to play the short ball during the tour of South Africa and he will face similar treatment against Australia. He will have his work cut out during the upcoming Test series.”

Meanwhile, Ramiz admitted that he was not at all surprised about Sarfaraz being sacked as captain.

“This had to happen because pressure was building on Sarfaraz,” he said. “We were losing Tests matches at home (UAE), failed to qualify for 2019 World Cup semis and lost to a second-string Sri Lankan team, despite being the number one T20 side in the world.”

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