Saqlain Mushtaq: “Babar Azam is very good with the boys; there used to be a significant difference in our time”
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Saqlain Mushtaq, the legendary spinner, said he couldn’t see any cracks in the Pakistan team, which showed that captain Babar Azam was a “great leader.”
Azam was leading the men in green in all three formats before stepping down as captain following the team’s disappointing performance in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Mushtaq noted that compared to the 1990s, Azam’s team was much more united as all the players stuck together instead of branching out into their own little groups.
“Babar Azam is very good with the boys; there used to be a significant difference in our time. The seniors would sit at one corner, the juniors would be somewhere else, and the captain would sit along with three guys accompanying him. He [Babar] takes everyone along, never leaving anyone alone,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
“In the dressing room, it’s not like any guy feels uncomfortable; everyone has the right to say whatever they want, they can give their opinion. So, I think Babar is a great leader.”
Azam amassed 320 runs in nine World Cup matches, which included four half-centuries, at an average of 40.
Pakistan began with victories over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before suffering four successive defeats against India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Even though they hit back to triumph over Bangladesh and New Zealand, they fell short of qualifying for the semi-finals.
Pakistan ended their World Cup campaign with a 93-run loss to England.
Pakistan Squad for 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali
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