Umar Akmal: “Just like [the] PCB removed him as national captain, he should also step down as Zalmi skipper. He needs to bat freely, enjoy his cricket and play without pressure”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal has advised Babar Azam to step down as captain of the Peshawar Zalmi so that he can “enjoy his cricket and play without pressure”.
His comments come just after the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL), where the Zalmi failed to qualify for the playoffs under Azam’s leadership.
The 30-year-old had a solid campaign with the bat, scoring 288 runs in 10 matches, which included three fifties, at an average of 36 and a strike-rate of 128.57.
“Just like [the] PCB removed him as national captain, he should also step down as Zalmi skipper. He needs to bat freely, enjoy his cricket and play without pressure,” Akmal said on his YouTube channel as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
After PSL 10 ended, Pakistan took on Bangladesh in a three-match T20I series, but Azam failed to make the cut when the squad was announced.
The men in green won the series 3-0.
Pakistan’s next assignment will be a three-match T20I series against Bangladesh in Mirpur from July 20 to 24.
Pakistan Squad for Bangladesh T20I Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper) and Saim Ayub
[TS_Poll id=”149″]