The Men in Green are in a bit of a conundrum when it comes to their cricketing leadership. With talks of removing Babar Azam as Pakistan skipper making headlines, former skipper Shahid Afridi has weighed in on the matter.
Afridi believes that the team can consider appointing a separate captain in the shortest format of the game. He thinks that Babar Azam needs to improve as a captain, but doesn’t necessarily think that three separate captains for three formats are the way to go. Instead, he suggests that Babar can continue to lead in Test and ODI cricket and the team management can appoint someone new in T20I cricket.
Now, before you all jump to conclusions, let’s remember that win and loss are part and parcel of the game. And, as Afridi points out, if experiments lead to a loss, it’s not a big deal. It gives you experience. The Pakistan Cricket Board has enough time to decide and they are not bound to take a call immediately. Babar Azam has been leading Pakistan for the last 2-3 years and as an individual performer, he is brilliant and carries the team along with him.
It’s not just former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi, who has an opinion on the current leadership crisis in the Men in Green. Another cricketing legend, Wasim Akram, has also weighed in on the matter and he’s on the opposite side of the spectrum.
While Afridi believes that Babar Azam needs to improve as a captain and that the team can consider appointing a separate captain for the T20I format, Akram thinks that Babar has enough potential and can prove himself to be the best captain if given enough time.
He went on to say that in this difficult time, Babar needs a strong hand of support and that the team should stop making fun of themselves. He also mentioned that if Babar had Imran Khan, Javed Miandad or Mike Brierley sitting next to him, he would understand that Babar Azam has a 2-3 years chance to prove himself.
So, there you have it folks, two cricketing legends, two different opinions on the leadership crisis in the Men in Green. It’s clear that the team has a lot to consider before taking any major decisions.
