Kapil Dev defended Babar Azam’s leadership, highlighting his past role in elevating Pakistan to the number-one ranking and urging a perspective beyond recent failures.
Following Pakistan’s exit from the ODI World Cup 2023, calls for Babar Azam’s resignation as captain surged among former cricketers due to the team’s meager four victories, securing a fifth-place finish. Despite the criticism, former India skipper Kapil Dev defended Azam, underscoring his pivotal role in Pakistan’s past ascent to the top spot in ODI rankings. Kapil urged selectors to consider Azam’s previous contributions, cautioning against solely judging him by recent results.
“Today you will say Babar is not performing well because you are seeing the current situation. But the same captain made Pakistan the number-one team six months back. When someone makes zero, 99% of people will say drop him and will back an ordinary player who scores a century saying, he is the next superstar,” Kapil was quoted by MyKhel.
“So don’t go with current performances. Look at how he has approached the game, how he plays in tough situations is how a player should be judged rather than one or two low scores,” he added.
Reports indicate Babar’s likely dismissal as Pakistan’s skipper soon. Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi are the prime contenders for the leadership role. Uncertainty looms regarding Babar’s removal from all formats or solely ODIs. The team is next set to face an upcoming series in Australia and New Zealand.
READ MORE | End of an Era? Babar Azam Set to Quit White-Ball Captaincy Post World Cup
Last Updated on November 14, 2023
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