(AP Photo)

Pakistan prepares for their final T20 World Cup match against Ireland, marking the conclusion of a disappointing campaign for the 2009 champions. Despite this, all eyes remain fixed on captain Babar Azam, as Shahid Afridi, a prominent figure in Pakistan’s cricket history, has strongly criticized Azam for his underwhelming performance in the tournament.

Following Pakistan’s unexpected early exit from the 2023 ODI World Cup, Babar Azam was reinstated as the white-ball captain ahead of the T20 World Cup, replacing Shaheen Afridi after just one T20I series against New Zealand.

Shahid Afridi argued that instead of reclaiming the captaincy, Babar should have respected the PCB’s initial decision to appoint Shaheen and supported his leadership, setting a positive example for the team.

Initially, when Shaheen Afridi was appointed T20 captain, PCB had expressed confidence in his leadership for the ongoing T20 World Cup. However, the decision was reversed following Pakistan’s 4-1 series loss to a New Zealand side lacking several key players.

“If the move regarding Shaheen’s captaincy had been made and the PCB stated that he would remain the captain till the T20 World Cup, then I think Babar should have supported Shaheen there and should have said that ‘no’, if you have made him the captain, then we are ready to play under his captaincy because Shaheen has been playing with me for a long time. If he is made captain and the selection committee has made him the captain, I will support him and play under his captaincy. This is the stance Babar should’ve taken,” Afridi suggested on his YouTube channel.

He feels that if Babar had accepted Shaheen as the captain, it would have earned him significant respect and strengthened his position.“Babar’s respect would’ve increased greatly that he has set an example with a remarkable decision,” Afridi said.

However, the ex-Pakistan captain emphasized that the current captaincy controversy shouldn’t be solely attributed to Babar. He pointed out that certain members of the selection committee have publicly suggested that Babar may lack direction in leading a team.

“But this was not entirely the fault of Babar because some of the blame lies with the selection committee too since some of the selectors on record said that Babar doesn’t know how to do captaincy.”

Regardless, Pakistan seeks to conclude their T20 World Cup 2024 with a victory over Ireland at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida, aiming to end their group-stage campaign on a high note.