Babar Azam should stay away from leadership: Shoaib Malik

After failing to qualify for the semi-finals of the ODI World Cup 2023, Babar Azam relinquished captaincy from all three formats, as Shaheen Shah Afridi replaced him in T20Is, while Shan Masood was named the new captain of the Pakistan Test team. However, under Masood, Pakistan lost 0-3 to Australia while New Zealand outclassed the Shaheen-led side in a five-match T20I series.

The new management then brought Babar back as captain in T20Is but the 29-year-old failed to deliver in the recently-concluded T20 World Cup. Under his leadership, Pakistan were knocked out of the group stage and the cricketer was once again subjected to immense criticism. Meanwhile, Shoaib Malik has advised him to step down from captaincy once again and focus more on improving as a batter.

Malik noted that every player goes through ups and downs in their career and expects Babar to find his rhythm once again. However, to do so, Malik feels it is ideal for him to relinquish leadership in white-ball cricket. He advised Babar to stay away from it and continue as a player.

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“Ups and downs are a part of life, especially when you are a cricketer from the subcontinent. He needs to stay strong during this time. As for his captaincy, my firm stance is that he should play only as a player. That’s my opinion. When he plays as a player, he can do wonders for the team. But in my opinion, he should stay away from leadership,” Malik said in an interview with Cricket Passion.

Fakhar Zaman should be considered for white-ball captaincy: Shoaib Malik

Malik believes that Fakhar Zaman should be trusted with leadership in white-ball cricket. The 42-year-old explained that Zaman understands the importance of playing fearless cricket in modern times and believes that the cricketer has the right sense and leadership capabilities to lead the team.

“According to today’s fearless cricket, Fakhar Zaman should be considered for white ball captaincy because he has the sense and leadership capacity for it,” Malik said.