Shoaib Akhtar Slams Imran Khan for Believing Babar Azam Was Captaincy Material for Pakistan
Shoaib Akhtar said that Babar Azam is not a captaincy material.
Ever since Pakistan was ousted from the T20 World Cup 2024, former cricketers and experts have been slamming Babar Azam left, right, and center. The latest addition to this criticism is former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar.
The legendary pacer even took a dig at the World Cup winning Pakistan captain Imran Khan by questioning who was that “Einstein” who saw captaincy material in Babar Azam and appointed him as the captain.
Here’s what Shoaib Akhtar said on Butt Sports TV:
“Who made Babar Azam the captain in the first place? Who is that Einstein? I need to know that guy. Does he qualify for this job? Does he even know anything about captaincy? I’ve been saying that Babar Azam is not a captain material.”
No Place for Babar Azam in ODIs if He Can’t Finish Matches
Not just this, Shoaib Akhtar also questioned Babar Azam’s finishing skills. He stated that if Babar is asked to bat at number four in white-ball cricket, he will not be able to finish matches for Pakistan.
Shoaib Akhtar further said that Babar Azam must finish matches for Pakistan. If he fails to do so, he does not deserve a place in the white-ball team, let alone leading it.
“What’s going to happen to Babar now? He is now going to come down at number 4. He has to finish the games. He has to win the games, if he doesn’t, he won’t be able to keep his place in T20I. I am telling you right now. He won’t be able to find his place in ODIs if he can’t finish. The finisher Babar has to come out again.”
There is no doubt that the current period is very tough for Babar Azam, and it will only keep getting tougher from here on. He needs to silence all critics with his performance. However, it remains to be seen if the PCB will continue to support his captaincy.
