Shahid Afridi: “If I had to pick one, I would pick the captain Babar Azam, because he is the leader. I want him to perform well, make timely decisions which will take the team to victory”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Legendary Pakistan power-hitter Shahid Afridi has singled out limited overs captain Babar Azam as the man who must “perform well” throughout the ongoing 2024 T20 World Cup.
In Pakistan’s first three matches against the United States of America, India and Canada, Azam made 44, 13 and 33 respectively.
Afridi noted that since Azam is Pakistan’s leader, it is imperative that he sets an example for the other players in the team.
The former all-rounder added that the 29-year-old also has to be tactful when making decisions as it could be the difference between victory and defeat.
“If I had to pick one, I would pick the captain Babar Azam, because he is the leader. I want him to perform well, make timely decisions which will take the team to victory,” Afridi was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Prior to the T20 World Cup, Azam led Pakistan in their five-match T20I series against New Zealand and amassed 125 runs, which included a top score of 69, at an average of 31.25 and a strike-rate of 138.88.
He then proceeded to make 132 runs, which included two fifties, at an average of 44 and a strike-rate of 148.31 in the three-match T20I series against Ireland.
Following this, he struck 68 runs in two games during the T20I series against England at an average of 34 and a strike-rate of 141.66.
After losing their first two T20 World Cup matches to the United States of America and India, Pakistan bounced back to defeat Canada by seven wickets.
Next up for them will be a clash against Ireland on June 16 in Lauderhill.
Pakistan Squad for 2024 T20 World Cup: Babar Azam (capt), Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Azam Khan (wk), Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Abbas Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed