“Didn’t He Do…”: Pakistan Great Identifies Babar Azam’s Captaincy Replacement. Not Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan

Pakistan captain Babar Azam has come under the fire line of former cricketers following the aftermath of their T20 World Cup disaster. With Pakistan exiting the tournament in the group stage, Babar’s future as captain has come under major scrutiny of former Pakistan players, who have also questioned his place in the team. The star batter has been accused of influencing selection process by favouring players that do not fit into the system. Reports have also emerged that senior pros like Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan are also not happy with Babar’s re-appointment as captain, and they should be the ones leading the team.

Amid the debate regarding Babar’s future as captain, former Pakistan captain Younis Khan has identified his ideal replacement. Younis feels that the PCB should appoint Fakhar Zaman as captain of the team, pointing out the southpaw’s past and recent performances.

“Why can’t Fakhar Zaman be the captain of the side isn’t he a performer? Didn’t he do well in the last 50-over World Cup? Who is that one player who gave us hope? Zaman started the 2023 World Cup in India poorly however, in the second half turned his form around which coincided with Pakistan’s success. His blistering starts at the top kept Pakistan in contention however, it was too little too late for them to go further in the tournament,” Younis said on PTV Sports.

Babar Azam aur Rizwan ki Wajha se Fakhar zaman ko. Sacrifice karna pada. #younuskhanpic.twitter.com/KvrCulpq7p

— Qamar Raza (@Rizzvi73) June 17, 2024

Younis pointed out that Fakhar has sacrificed his opening slot for Babar by batting down the order, when ideally, he should be the one leading the line.

“Who is that one player in the side who is leaving his opening slot and batting down at four or five or six? Who is sacrificing his place? Fakhar Zaman! Why won’t you make him the captain?,” he added.

Fakhar was Pakistan’s top performer during the ODI World Cup last year. Not only that, he scored a century in the final of the 2017 Champions Trophy when Pakistan beat India to claim the title.

However, over the past few years, Fakhar’s role has been limited with the management trying to accomodate Babar and Rizwan as the openers.