Ian Chappell: “Yeah that’s a pity, I think Babar’s a very good player. He’s not leaving the Pakistan side and maybe they can find a better captain. But it’s typical of Pakistan, they change captains [frequently]”
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Former Australia skipper Ian Chappell admitted that it’s a “pity” that Babar Azam stepped down as captain, but pointed out that “it’s typical of Pakistan.”
Azam resigned from the role after his side failed to impress in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Top order batsman Shan Masood replaced the 29-year-old as Test captain, while left-arm seamer Shaheen Shah Afridi was given the leadership position in T20Is.
With Pakistan having undergone major changes, Chappell hopes that the men in green have better luck with their newly-appointed captains.
“Yeah that’s a pity, I think Babar’s a very good player. He’s not leaving the Pakistan side and maybe they can find a better captain. But it’s typical of Pakistan, they change captains [frequently],” he said on Wide World of Sports as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
In the World Cup, Azam amassed 320 runs in nine matches, which included four fifties, at an average of 40.
He is now featuring in Pakistan’s three-match Test series against Australia and made scores of 21 and 14 in the first Test in Perth, which the men in green lost by 360 runs.
The second Test will begin on December 26 in Melbourne.
Pakistan Squad for Australia Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi
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