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Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan has criticized Babar Azam, emphasizing that a captain’s role extends beyond individual performance in batting or bowling. Khan stressed that leadership requires the ability to motivate the team, regardless of seniority, especially during Pakistan’s challenging phase across all cricketing aspects.
Under Azam’s captaincy, Pakistan faced early elimination from the T20 World Cup 2024 after losing crucial matches against USA and India, despite later victories over Canada and Ireland.
Younis Khan elaborates on the qualities of an ideal captain.
During the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2024 tournament, Younis Khan, leading the Pakistan Champions team, shared insights with reporters about the qualities of a capable captain. He emphasized the importance of selecting a captain based on their ability to manage pressure and their thorough knowledge of every player’s skills, even those on the bench.
“It is not necessary to talk about whether the captain is senior or junior. You should make captain someone who is capable, who can handle pressure. It’s not the job of just batting and bowling. To become a leader, you have to think of every player, even if the player is on the bench. You should know the player’s technique, about his energy, skills. Only then, you can get the best out of them,” Younis stated.
“A leader should be a good motivator” – Younis Khan
Expanding on his point, Younis Khan cited examples from Pakistan’s cricket history, highlighting figures like Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, and Wasim Akram, who not only excelled in their skills but also stood out as effective motivators and leaders.
“Like we talk about the great Imran Khan, Javed bhai (Javed Miandad), or Wasim Akram. Why were they good coaches? Because they gave us players like Saqlain Mushtaq, Abdul Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood, and Shahid Afridi. According to me, a leader should be a good motivator alongside being a good batter or bowler,” Younis added.
There is speculation about changing Pakistan’s captaincy due to Babar Azam’s ongoing struggles in ICC tournaments. In the T20 World Cup 2024, Babar’s performance was lackluster, scoring only 122 runs in four matches at a strike rate of 101.66, below his usual standards.
Previously, Babar was relieved of the captaincy following Pakistan’s disappointing performance in the ODI World Cup 2023. Shaheen Afridi briefly took over as T20I captain but after losing the series in New Zealand, he was replaced by Babar Azam again under the leadership of the new chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
