Rashid Latif: “If Shadab is not fit in time then Imad Wasim could lead Pakistan in [the] T20s as he recently led in [the] PSL”
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Rashid Latif believes Imad Wasim should captain the national team in the first T20 International against New Zealand if vice-captain Shadab Khan is not fit.
Regular captain Babar Azam has been ruled out of the three-match series after fracturing his right thumb, but Shadab is also doubtful for the first match as he is nursing a groin injury.
If he is ruled out of the game on December 18, Pakistan will need someone to step up and lead the team. In Latif’s mind, Imad is the best man for the job.
This is because Imad recently captained the Karachi Kings, who went on to win this year’s Pakistan Super League (PSL).
“If Shadab is not fit in time then Imad Wasim could lead Pakistan in [the] T20s as he recently led in [the] PSL. If we win the T20I series and then suffer [a] defeat in [the] Test series, then it will raise a big question mark on Pakistan’s white-ball captaincy. This could be an issue in future,” he said in a video on his YouTube channel as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
Pakistan will play three T20 Internationals and two Tests in New Zealand, with the series beginning on December 18 and concluding on January 7.