Pakistan legend Younis Khan has expressed strong support for Babar Azam to continue as the captain of the national team, amidst growing scrutiny over his leadership following the Men in Green’s underwhelming performance in recent international tournaments, including Pakistan’s early exit from the T20 World Cup 2024.
In a candid interview with a local news channel, Younis Khan attributed Pakistan’s struggles to systemic issues within the country’s cricket infrastructure rather than individual player performances. He emphasized the lack of development in backup players and a lack of viable alternatives for key roles, including the captaincy. He said,
We give our views very quickly. If we talk about our current team, the players don’t have a fault. Instead, I will blame the infrastructure. If we don’t have the backup, how will you replace the out-of-form players?
Younis Khan pointed out that the current situation, where Babar Azam remains the default choice for captaincy, reflects a failure to build bench strength over the past several years. “We generally speak that Babar Azam should not be the captain. If not Babar Azam, who else should be the captain? That’s not Babar Azam’s fault. Neither this is the current selection committee’s fault. This is the fault of something that happened 5-6 years back. We should have built our bench strength,” he added.
The 2009 T20 World Cup-winning skipper also criticized the frequent changes in leadership, including the rapid turnover of PCB chairmen and even government officials, which he argued disrupts long-term planning essential for sustained success in international cricket. “Actually, the changes are happening so quickly. The chairman, captain, and even our government has changed so quickly. So, who will do the planning? This has happened from the last ten years,” he concluded.
PCB is currently evaluating the team’s leadership and structure. PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has indicated that discussions with former cricketers and the team’s white-ball head coach, Gary Kirsten, will play a significant role in deciding the future of Babar Azam’s captaincy.
Pakistan’s cricket schedule includes a white-ball series against Australia in November, featuring three ODIs and three T20Is. Before that, Pakistan will host two Test matches against Bangladesh and three Tests against England, with Shan Masood slated to lead the team in the red-ball format.
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