Ramiz Raja: “Babar Azam has added new shots, his range has expanded. He is relaxed because he is not captaining Pakistan now. I love the way he is improvising now, the way he is accelerating his innings and playing shots which he didn’t”
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Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja has praised Babar Azam for his improvisation when batting and pointed out that the 29-year-old is “playing shots which he didn’t” in the past.
Mickey Arthur: “He is a wonderful talent”
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Mickey Arthur, the former Pakistan team director, said there is no denying that captain Babar Azam is a “wonderful talent”.
Aakash Chopra: “Babar Azam hasn’t played well in the entire tournament. Whenever he has played, he has played at almost a run-a-ball and we didn’t see any dominating knock, although these are good batting conditions”
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Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra believes Pakistan batsman Babar Azam didn’t play a single dominating knock during the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Mohammad Rizwan: “He (Shaheen Afridi) is a very good captain and I have seen him in Lahore Qalandars and other teams where I was his teammate and he is that kind of a player who neither loses his heart nor courage till the end of a game”
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Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan believes left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi is a “very good captain” as he has a lot of heart and courage.
Ramiz Raja: “I think captaincy in T20 doesn’t matter as much, there is a given model that you know who will first and last two overs, who will bowl in that middle overs phase. I think captaincy is tested way more in Test cricket”
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Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja believes the T20I captaincy doesn’t matter too much and feels that Shaheen Shah Afridi doesn’t have a very hard job as “there is a given model” he will follow.
Gautam Gambhir: “I think you’ll see the best of Babar Azam now, you’ll see a completely different Babar Azam”
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Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir is optimistic that people will see “the best of Babar Azam now” since he no longer has the pressure of captaining Pakistan.
Ramiz Raja: “I think the way Babar was removed from captaincy, I am against that. By doing politics during the World Cup, you are sending a message and giving indications that you should resign. This is why management should be of top quality”
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Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja has voiced his anger at how Babar Azam was removed as captain.
Kamran Akmal: “Babar has made a very good decision to quit captaincy in all formats”
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Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal said Babar Azam “made a very good decision” to step down as captain in all three formats.
Gautam Gambhir: “Babar has to play freely, he has to play out of the box cricket”
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Former India opening batsman Gautam Gambhir has advised ex-Pakistan captain Babar Azam to start batting “freely” and playing more “out of the box cricket.”
Mushtaq Ahmed: “I would have suggested giving Babar some rest. Babar needed a mental break as he was fatigued”
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Iconic Pakistan leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed believes star batsman Babar Azam needs a break from cricket as he has gone through a lot over the last few months.