Mohammad Hafeez: “As a batsman, Babar Azam has immense contributions for Pakistan. Not being captain will release pressure from him. Captaincy definitely adds pressure onto a cricketer, and if someone denies that, they are wrong”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan team director Mohammad Hafeez has called out Babar Azam, saying he is wrong to deny that there was little to no pressure on him as captain.
Azam stepped down from the leadership role in all three formats after Pakistan’s dismal performance in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Hafeez noted that with the 29-year-old having given up the captaincy, it will decrease the amount of pressure on his shoulders.
“As a batsman, Babar Azam has immense contributions for Pakistan. Not being captain will release pressure from him. Captaincy definitely adds pressure onto a cricketer, and if someone denies that, they are wrong,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Azam is currently 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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