Shahid Afridi: “Babar Azam must play as an opener or else he has no role in [the] Pakistan cricket team”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi believes Babar Azam has no role in the T20I team unless he plays as an opener.
Azam was recently batting at number four, despite previously being a first-choice opener and enjoying a lot of success in that position.
With his strike-rate a constant concern, Afridi feels there is no alternative but to promote the 31-year-old back up the order and reinstate him as an opener.
“Babar Azam must play as an opener or else he has no role in [the] Pakistan cricket team,” he was quoted as saying by journalist Arfa Feroz Zake on X.
Azam was recently reappointed as Test captain and led the men in green in their two-Test series against the West Indies, where he amassed 193 runs, which included two fifties, at an average of 96.50.
With their tour of the West Indies done, Pakistan will now play three Tests against England from August 19 to September 13.
Pakistan Squad for England Test Series: Babar Azam (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Awais Zafar, Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel (subject to fitness), Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah