(Source X)
Saqlain Mushtaq, the renowned former Pakistani spinner, has urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to adopt a long-term strategy for selecting the team’s captain, including Babar Azam. Mushtaq contends that Pakistan’s lack of a systematic approach in captaincy selection has impeded the team’s development.
He argues that the absence of a consistent plan has led to frequent changes in leadership, which has affected team stability. Mushtaq advocates for the PCB to establish a well-defined strategy before appointing a captain to ensure more cohesive and effective leadership.
Saqlain Mushtaq has advised the PCB on Babar Azam’s future.
In an interview with Cricket Pakistan, Saqlain Mushtaq highlighted that the PCB’s lack of a long-term vision for selecting a captain has led to recent problems. He attributed these issues to the board’s focus on short-term solutions without any forward planning.
“If you have to appoint a captain, do you look at the short term, long term, or mid term? What are you considering when appointing a captain? We don’t seem to have a vision; we look at what’s going to happen tomorrow and appoint a captain, then change the team the next day. Because the people making these decisions don’t even know if they’ll be around tomorrow, there’s no plan for the long term,” Mushtaq added.
He pointed to the case of Shaheen Afridi, who was briefly appointed captain before Babar Azam was reinstated, as an example of the PCB’s short-term approach. Mushtaq emphasized that this constant shifting in leadership, driven by lack of long-term planning, has negatively impacted the team’s stability and performance.
“For example, Shaheen was appointed for the short term and he’s already out. Now Babar has come in for the short term, there’s been just one World Cup, and now he’ll be changed. Someone else will come, and then there’s the Champions Trophy, and after that, the T20 World Cup,” Mushtaq said.
“If you want to create a leader, where does the philosophy of working together go? How will you work together? If you don’t have any plan, you’ll make anyone the captain. The more you keep chopping and changing, the more time you’ll have to give to experiments. And before experimenting, you have to create a complete strategy and look at the pros and cons of that experiment,” he added.
Pakistan has faced recent challenges with captaincy.
Pakistan cricket has been grappling with the challenge of finding a stable long-term captain for some time. After a disappointing performance in the ODI World Cup 2023, where Pakistan lost to Afghanistan and failed to advance to the semi-finals, Babar Azam stepped down as captain.
Shaheen Afridi was subsequently appointed captain for the T20Is but faced setbacks, including a 4-1 series loss to New Zealand. Following this, the new PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi reinstated Babar Azam as captain for the T20 World Cup 2024.
Despite these changes, Pakistan’s form did not improve. They experienced a loss to Ireland and a crushing series defeat to England before the T20 World Cup. As the next white-ball series approaches in November 2024, the PCB is deliberating on Babar Azam’s future as captain. If a change is made, potential candidates include Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan, while Shan Masood will remain Pakistan’s Test captain.
