Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali wants Babar Azam to focus on his batting and has slammed the team’s culture of overpromising & underdelivering
Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has recommended Babar Azam to step down as the side’s white-ball captain and focus on his batting instead. His remarks come ahead of the start of what is an hectic international schedule for Pakistan. Ali also asked the team to do away with their brand of ‘talkative cricket’ and the habit of overpromising and underdelivering.
Should Babar Azam step down as Pakistan captain?
Babar Azam was made the Pakistan T20I skipper right before the World Cup. However, Pakistan had a miserable campaign in the USA, exiting the tournament in the group stage itself. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Basit Ali reckoned that ‘premium batter’ Babar Azam last scored a century against Nepal and that without being captain, he has more chances to focus on improving his batting.
“He should quit the white-ball captaincy as well. He should focus on his batting. He is a premium batsman of Pakistan. So, he should perform well,” Basit Ali said.
He further advised Test skipper Shan Masood to take brave decisions and not have a soft corner for any premium player. Pakistan will take on Bangladesh in a two-match Test series from August 21.
“In the last 2-3 years, we have played a lot of talkative cricket. We will win the World Cup. We will win the Asia Cup. We will play in the finals in India. It was all talkative cricket. Now, it is time to deliver,” Ali added.
Editors pick
