Gautam Gambhir: “Babar Azam won’t get anything by winning the PSL”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has advised Pakistan batsman Babar Azam to step down as captain of the Peshawar Zalmi as he “won’t get anything” from winning the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Azam has already given up the Pakistan captaincy as he stepped down from the leadership role in all three formats following the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Gambhir now wants the 29-year-old to make the same move in the PSL so that he is free to focus on his batting.
“Babar Azam won’t get anything by winning the PSL,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Azam recently featured in Pakistan’s three-match Test series against Australia, which they lost 3-0, and finished with 126 runs at an average of 21.
He is now playing in Pakistan’s five-match T20I series against New Zealand and thumped 57 runs off 35 balls, which included six boundaries and two sixes, in the first T20I.
The Lahore native followed that up with 66 in the second T20I, which came off 43 deliveries and included seven boundaries and two sixes.
Pakistan lost the first two T20Is and will look to avoid a series defeat in the third T20I, which will be played on January 17 in Dunedin.
Pakistan Squad for New Zealand T20I Series: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abbas Afridi, Azam Khan (wicketkeeper), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Usama Mir and Zaman Khan