(Credit Reuters)
Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, faces mounting pressure to salvage his leadership tenure amid recent disappointments. Despite steering Pakistan in two ICC events, he has fallen short of advancing past the initial stages, let alone clinching any titles. With the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 slated to be held in Pakistan, Azam confronts a pivotal opportunity to secure a crucial victory next year, potentially rescuing both his captaincy and cricketing future.
Criticism has also surrounded Azam’s batting approach, particularly his relatively low strike rate across different formats. In a team struggling to nurture emerging batting talents, Azam, alongside Mohammad Rizwan, stands as a linchpin across formats. While promising players like Saim Ayub and Abdulla Shafique show potential, Test skipper Shan Masood is also recognized as a vital asset in Pakistan’s batting lineup.
Former national cricketer Atiq-uz-Zaman has underscored a critical issue plaguing Pakistan cricket, attributing recent failures to players prioritizing personal goals over team cohesion. This revelation sheds light on the underlying crisis gripping Pakistani cricket at present.
“Random people at the start thinking their personal goals their personal agendas and this is what happened they forget they are here to play cricket and cricket is not an individual game and even out of 11 players one person is playing for themselves can harm the team and that’s what happening to Pakistan,” Zaman told on Twitter.
Former Pakistan cricketers are increasingly vocal about the potential removal of Babar Azam as captain, with Ahmed Shehzad prominently criticizing Azam for seemingly focusing more on securing his spot in the team. Joining the chorus is former captain Salman Butt, who has advocated for Shan Masood to take over the reins across formats, despite the presence of senior players like Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shadab Khan.
Amidst these discussions, Babar Azam has also addressed his captaincy and Pakistan’s performance in the T20 World Cup following their exit from the tournament.
His remarks came after Pakistan managed a consolation victory over Ireland in their final Super 8 match. Despite this win, losses to USA and India earlier in the tournament had already sealed Pakistan’s fate, leading to their early elimination.
