Former India cricketer and coach Sanjay Bangar believes that continuing with Babar Azam as captain is Pakistan’s greatest chance of a resurgence. The skipper must be under a lot of strain following the Men in Green’s humiliating elimination from the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA).
Fans and analysts alike questioned Azam’s batting style, leadership, and body language after the team lost to the United States and India in the group stage. Following Pakistan’s inability to reach the semi-finals of the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, the ace batter surrendered captaincy across forms.
However, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi controversially restored him after Shaheen Afridi was fired after only one series as national captain. Sanjay Bangar said:
“I still believe he is still the best man to lead Pakistan. He has to be a little bit more assertive in terms of the usage of the DRS as well. You can gauge your personality. It seems that he is letting others come into his way of decision-making. So, as a captain, you have to be decisive. That’s a quality that can be slightly more assertive. That can help his decision-making.”
Sanjay Bangar
Babar Azam has stepped up to address the critique surrounding his captaincy emphasizing that the final decision rests with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The skipper along with some of his comrades has flown off to the United Kingdom for a brief getaway to unwind from the recent match results.
“There are not a lot of potential captaincy candidates” – Sanjay Bangar on PCB going back to Babar Azam
After Babar Azam quit in late 2023, PCB moved to Shan Masood for red-ball captaincy and Shaheen Afridi for white-ball leadership. However, the team lacks additional leadership candidates, and no one is being groomed for the role.
Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan have previously led franchises in the Pakistan Super League. Shadab Khan has also led the national team on a few occasions when Babar Azam is absent. However, their track record is far from perfect, and it may take some time for Pakistan to develop a pool of candidates from which to pick.
“There is no alternative as well, because Pakistan tried to do away with his captaincy after the 50-over World Cup debacle. But they had to go back to him again. It clearly shows that there are not a lot of potential captaincy candidates. So stick with Babar, give him the team, give him a good support system around him so that Pakistan can do well in the next World Cup.”
Sanjay Bangar
To make matters worse, recently hired head coach Gary Kirsten’s statements regarding team cohesion have riled up the whole fan base.
