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Former Pakistan opener Salman Butt has endorsed Shan Masood to take over as captain across all three formats. Currently leading Pakistan in Tests, Masood faced a challenging start with a series sweep by Australia.
Meanwhile, Babar Azam, captain in ODIs and T20Is, faces uncertain leadership prospects following Pakistan’s unexpected exit from the T20 World Cup 2024 in the group stage.
Salman Butt has chosen Shan Masood to succeed Babar Azam as the captain of Pakistan.
During a discussion on his YouTube channel, Salman Butt advocated for Shan Masood to assume the captaincy across all three formats for Pakistan, citing the need for a player like Masood to bring a balanced approach to leadership amid what he described as a prevailing attitude in the current leadership.
“There is some fuss because of which despite having skill, players haven’t been able to execute. There is someone who doesn’t have any strategy for planning, but still has a lot of attitude. To silence that attitude, I would definitely make Shan Masood the captain,” Butt opined.
Butt elaborated on his stance, emphasizing the necessity for a captain in Pakistan who can transcend the culture of camaraderie and group dynamics within the team. He suggested that Shan Masood might offer the ideal contrast in this regard.
“I would do that for some time at least. Something like that needs to be done for some time. Pakistan have constantly backed certain players who have their own inner circles. So, you need someone who stands higher than all these groups and friendships,” Butt said.
Shan Masood captains Yorkshire in the County Championship.
Shan Masood, besides captaining Pakistan’s Test team, is leading Yorkshire in the County Championship and also captains Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Following Babar Azam’s resignation from captaincy across all formats after Pakistan’s poor showing in the ODI World Cup last year, Shaheen Afridi briefly took over as T20I captain but was replaced after a series loss in New Zealand.
Mohsin Naqvi, the new PCB chairman, reinstated Babar Azam as captain of the white-ball teams, but Pakistan’s disappointing performance in the T20 World Cup 2024 has raised questions about his leadership.
Naqvi plans to consult with Gary Kirsten, the current white-ball head coach, and former Pakistan cricketers before making a decision on Babar Azam’s future. Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan are also being considered as captaincy options.
Despite scoring 122 runs at an average of 40.66 in the T20 World Cup 2024, Babar Azam’s strike rate of 101.66 has drawn criticism from experts.
