Saqlain Mushtaq: “Many people are saying that he (Babar Azam) should quit captaincy and play as a regular player. But all these voices are coming from outside, from people who are watching and listening to things from the outside”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Legendary Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq said all those calling for limited overs captain Babar Azam to go as limited overs captain might be completely wrong as they don’t know the situation within the national team.
Azam’s future as skipper remains shrouded in mystery, especially after the 2024 T20 World Cup, where the men in green were eliminated in the group stage.
With many pundits and former players demanding that someone else replace the 29-year-old as captain, Mushtaq insisted that the people who ultimately decide Azam’s fate should make the right choice and not be influenced by outside voices.
“Many people are saying that he (Babar Azam) should quit captaincy and play as a regular player. But all these voices are coming from outside, from people who are watching and listening to things from the outside. These are comments from outsiders. We shouldn’t listen to the voices of those outside. The people inside, who are observing the situation from within, should see what’s really going on and decide who is capable of leading the team effectively,” he told Cricket Pakistan.
Azam recently featured in Pakistan’s two-Test series against Bangladesh, but only managed to muster 64 runs at an average of 16.
He is now playing for the Stallions in the Champions One-Day Cup, which is a domestic 50-over competition taking place in Faisalabad.
In four games, he has amassed 230 runs, which includes a century and a fifty, at an average of 76.66.
The Pakistan team will be back in action next month when they take on England in a three-match Test series from October 7 to 28 in Multan and Rawalpindi.
Pakistan Squad for 1st Test against England: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Shaheen Shah Afridi.
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