New Delhi, Nov 23: Former England cricketer David Lloyd backs Babar Azam’s decision to relinquish Pakistan captaincy in all formats and said the 29-year-old should focus more on his batting.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) asked Babar to quit over the team’s debacle in the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup in India.
Lloyd highlighted captaincy’s role on the field as the simpler aspect while dealing with the “political aspects” and fallout from defeats can be chaotic.
“The easiest part (of captaincy) is changing the bowling and setting the field. All the political stuff when it comes off and post-mortem about the losses is chaotic,” Lloyd was quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
Babar’s struggle with the bat was one of the key aspects of Pakistan’s struggle to qualify for the semis. He managed to score 320 runs from nine matches scoring four fifties at an average of 40, but his strike rate of below 100 across matches came under scrutiny.
“Babar Azam is one of the great players in the world at the minute. Just get on with playing and let somebody else have the headache,” he added.
Following Babar’s resignation, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appointed Shan Masood as the Test captain, while the role of T20I skipper went to pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi.
In a statement announcing his resignation, Azam said that it was a “difficult decision” but that he felt it was “the right time for this call.” He also said that he would continue to be available to play for Pakistan in all formats.
Azam’s resignation is a major blow to Pakistan cricket, and it is unclear who will replace him as captain. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is expected to make a decision on a new captain in the coming days.
Azam had been Pakistan’s captain since 2019, and he led the team to some notable successes, including reaching the number one ranking in ODIs.
However, he was also criticized for his captaincy at times, and his performances with the bat in the World Cup were below par.
The decision came after Pakistan’s disappointing performance in the 2023 Cricket World Cup, where they failed to qualify for the semifinals. (Agencies)
