Younis Khan has been named the ideal successor to Babar Azam as Pakistan’s next captain.©AFP
Pakistan captain Babar Azam has come under fire from former cricketers in the aftermath of their disastrous T20 World Cup defeat. With Pakistan exiting the tournament in the group stage, Babar’s future as captain has come under scrutiny from former Pakistani players, with his position in the team also being questioned. The star batsman has been accused of influencing the selection process by favouring players who do not fit into the team set-up. Veteran professionals like Shaheen Afridi and Mohammed Rizwan are also reportedly unhappy with Babar’s re-appointment as captain, saying they should be the ones leading the team.
Amid ongoing debate over Babar’s future as captain, former Pakistan captain Younis Khan has identified an ideal successor for Babar. Pointing to the left-hander’s past and recent performances, Younis feels that the Pakistan Football Federation should appoint Fakhar Zaman as the team’s captain.
“Why can’t Fakhar Zaman be the captain of the team? Isn’t he a capable player? Didn’t he perform well in the last 50-over World Cup? Who is the player who gives us hope? Zaman was in poor form in the 2023 India World Cup but he picked up his form in the second half and coincided with Pakistan’s success. His blistering start at the top put Pakistan in the running to win but it was too late to go further in the tournament,” Younis told PTV Sports.
Younis pointed out that Fakhar has dropped down the batting order, sacrificing his opening spot for Babar, but ideally Fakhar should lead the line-up.
“Who is the player in the team who has left his opening position to bat at number four, five or six? Who is sacrificing his position? It is Fakhar Zaman! Why not make him captain?” he added.
Fakhar was Pakistan’s top player in last year’s ODI World Cup and also scored a century in the 2017 Champions Trophy final, which Pakistan won by beating India.
However, in the last few years, Fakhar’s role has been limited as the management has tried to use Babar and Rizwan as openers.
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