Should Babar Azam be Captain Again for Pakistan?

Babar Azam for Pakistan Captain?

Captaining India or Pakistan is one of the toughest jobs in the world. It is as hard as becoming a gaffer at Manchester United The media is on you. Some wanting to bring you down while others try to make a case for other potential candidates. Could Babar Azam be the right choice?

A high-pressure position where anything short than silverware is a failure. Virat Kohli was a brilliant captain who continued the legacy of MS Dhoni. India dominated cricket but failed to deliver an ICC trophy.

His removal was controversial, and the way media portrayed him as a failure was unjust. Babar Azam’s last stint as captain was like that of Virat Kohli’s.

Pakistan was in contention for ICC T20 World Cup crown twice. Babar led them to no.1 ODI ranking, and cricket was in safe hands. In comes the 2023 ODI World Cup.

A bad tournament for Pakistan and Babar was brought to a situation where he had to resign. In both cases the situation handling of the board could’ve been better. Particularly with Babar Azam who was simply thrown under the bus.

The Case of Shaheen Afridi

The 23-year-old fast bowling sensation, Shaheen Afridi was named the successor of Babar Azam after the 2023 World Cup. His tenure as captain of the shortest format is already over.

A series defeat against the Kiwis was enough to decide his fate as skipper. The voices in Pakistan are concerned on the Cricket Board’s ability to decide. The changes in power at the top level has led to this fiasco.

Shaheen was given the powers based on his triumph in the Pakistan Super League. He became the first captain to successfully defend the title. As it always happens with Pakistan Cricket, each decision comes with a lot of question marks. Shaheen’s ability to lead at the international level was immediately put under scrutiny.

To add to the circus, the left arm pacer was rested for a test match in Australia to ensure full fitness during the T20 series to follow. This decision led to all sorts of questions even before Shaheen led the team in for the first time.

Former cricketers were in disbelief that the board is ready to risk an all-important test match for a T20 series. This move itself became a dark cloud over Afridi’s captaincy.

Adding a lot more spice to the story, the former Pakistan captain, Shahid Afridi who is also the father-in-law of Shaheen backed Muhammad Rizwan for the position. This indeed was a sensible call from the former T20 World Cup winner considering Rizwan’s leadership abilities.

The wicketkeeper batter has led his Pakistan Super League franchise, Multan Sultans to a final on four consecutive occasions only winning the crown in 2021.

What to Expect in the Next Few Months?

It is now out in the global media that the Pakistan Cricket Board wants Babar Azam to lead the side during the T20 World Cup. Players are already training for the New Zealand series starting April 18th. Babar Azam is on a religious journey in Saudi Arabia and expected to make a call on the captaincy offer very soon.

Some reports in Pakistan suggest that Shaheen Afridi is not happy with his removal indicating that it’s not only the captain who takes the blame of the defeat. While it is proper cinema for neutrals, fans in Pakistan want everything to solve urgently so that the team could focus on the all-important T20 World Cup.

What will be Babar’s decision and Shaheen’s reaction to all of it? We’ll find out sooner rather than later.

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