NEW DELHI: Former wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal has advised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) not to change the team’s captain. He suggested that players should focus on performing their basic tasks correctly to avoid mistakes.
Reports emerged last week about Babar Azam potentially losing his role as captain of Pakistan’s white-ball cricket team. According to sources cited by Geo News, wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan is considered a leading candidate to replace Azam.
With Pakistan set to host the ICC Champions Trophy next year, Akmal questioned the timing of the potential change in leadership.
“Why they wanted to bring a change now if they did not do that after losing the Asia Cup, ODI World Cup, and T20 World Cup? What difference does it make [by the way],” ANI quoted Akmal as saying on Geo News.
Pakistan’s cricket team faced setbacks under captain Babar Azam last year. In the Asia Cup, they were eliminated in the Super 4 stage after losing to Sri Lanka by two wickets in Colombo. Later, their performance in the ODI World Cup in India also fell short as they failed to make it to the knockout stages.
The challenges continued in the T20 World Cup, where Pakistan did not advance past the group stage. They lost their first T20I match against co-hosts USA on a difficult pitch in New York, which was a crucial blow to their campaign.
Reflecting on these performances, former cricketer Akmal questioned whether appointing a new captain could improve the team’s results.
“Is it because the captain is not their favourite, and they want one of their choice? Do you think the new captain will bring Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, or Mitchell Starc into the team to boost its performance? If they do not get their basics right, then such blunders will continue to happen, and replacing captains will make no difference. Everyone, including the captain, coach, and selectors, should set their direction right and reform their thinking,” he suggested.
Babar Azam has stepped down as the captain of Pakistan’s cricket team in all formats after the team’s early exit from last year’s ODI World Cup.
Recently, he was reinstated as the captain for the white-ball format, just before the T20 World Cup. This move replaced Shaheen Shah Afridi, who had led Pakistan in a single series against New Zealand, where Pakistan faced a 4-1 series defeat. The PCB explained reappointing Babar as a ‘strategic move’.
Reports emerged last week about Babar Azam potentially losing his role as captain of Pakistan’s white-ball cricket team. According to sources cited by Geo News, wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan is considered a leading candidate to replace Azam.
With Pakistan set to host the ICC Champions Trophy next year, Akmal questioned the timing of the potential change in leadership.
“Why they wanted to bring a change now if they did not do that after losing the Asia Cup, ODI World Cup, and T20 World Cup? What difference does it make [by the way],” ANI quoted Akmal as saying on Geo News.
Pakistan’s cricket team faced setbacks under captain Babar Azam last year. In the Asia Cup, they were eliminated in the Super 4 stage after losing to Sri Lanka by two wickets in Colombo. Later, their performance in the ODI World Cup in India also fell short as they failed to make it to the knockout stages.
The challenges continued in the T20 World Cup, where Pakistan did not advance past the group stage. They lost their first T20I match against co-hosts USA on a difficult pitch in New York, which was a crucial blow to their campaign.
Reflecting on these performances, former cricketer Akmal questioned whether appointing a new captain could improve the team’s results.
“Is it because the captain is not their favourite, and they want one of their choice? Do you think the new captain will bring Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, or Mitchell Starc into the team to boost its performance? If they do not get their basics right, then such blunders will continue to happen, and replacing captains will make no difference. Everyone, including the captain, coach, and selectors, should set their direction right and reform their thinking,” he suggested.
Babar Azam has stepped down as the captain of Pakistan’s cricket team in all formats after the team’s early exit from last year’s ODI World Cup.
Recently, he was reinstated as the captain for the white-ball format, just before the T20 World Cup. This move replaced Shaheen Shah Afridi, who had led Pakistan in a single series against New Zealand, where Pakistan faced a 4-1 series defeat. The PCB explained reappointing Babar as a ‘strategic move’.
