Shahid Afridi: “I was concerned that Babar would be put under a lot of stress”
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Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi said he was concerned captain Babar Azam would be under a lot of stress after accepting the leadership role.
Since Azam is Pakistan’s star batsman and constantly expected to lead from the front, Afridi was worried that adding the captaincy to his list of responsibilities would be too much for the 27-year-old to handle.
However, Azam has thrived as captain and continues to be one of the team’s top batsmen.
Azam recently broke the record for the most runs scored by a batsman in their maiden T20 World Cup appearance.
He scored 303 runs in six games during the tournament, which included four fifties, at an average of 60.60 and a strike-rate of 126.25.
As for the three T20 Internationals against Bangladesh, he wasn’t at his best as he only mustered 27 runs at an average of nine and a strike-rate of 67.50.
However, he bounced back in the two-Test series that followed as he accumulated 99 runs, which included a top score of 76, at an average of 49.50.
Most recently, he amassed 86 runs, which included a top score of 79, at an average of 28.66 and a strike-rate of 138.70 in the three-match T20 series against the West Indies.
“I was concerned that Babar would be put under a lot of stress,” Afridi was quoted as saying by A-Sports.
“The captaincy of the Pakistani squad is a big deal. As captain, you must deal with the media as well as the players.”
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