Younis Khan throws new challenger to Rizwan as Babar Azam's replacement; race to Pakistan captaincy intensifies
Younis Khan named a cricketer who could challenge Mohammad Rizwan for the Pakistan captaincy role.
On Tuesday, Babar Azam stepped down as Pakistan's white-ball captain, citing the reason that he wanted to prioritise his performance. During his tenure as skipper which began in 2019, Pakistan hasn't won a major tournament.
Pakistan struggled and failed to reach the knockout stages of the ODI World Cup last year, and Babar had resigned from captaincy in all three formats, with Shaheen Shah Afridi appointed as T20I skipper. But he too was removed and Babar was reinstated as white-ball captain, with Shan Masood remaining as Test skipper.
Also Read | Women's T20 World Cup: Bangladesh defeat Scotland by 16 runs in opener
But Pakistan failed at the T20 World Cup too, and have been struggling lately.
What did Younis Khan say?
Speaking to reporters at the Adelaide Oval, Pakistan legend Younis Khan predicted that Babar made the right decision to quit captaincy, and also predicted who could take up the leadership role.
"Stepping away from the captaincy will be beneficial for Babar Azam. In our culture, we often make the biggest player the captain, which I believe is a mistake. Either Mohammad Rizwan or Fakhar Zaman should be considered for the role," he said.
"I hope the Pakistan men's cricket team performs well in Australia. The current squad includes young players, and there are certainly some issues with team selection that need to be addressed," he added.
Hailing Pakistan's red-ball coach Jason Gillespie, he said, "I have played cricket with Jason Gillespie; he is working hard to improve the Pakistan team. However, there needs to be better decision-making when it comes to selection."
Pakistan are set to tour Australia in November, and will participate in ODI and T20I series. Babar is Pakistan's most prolific T20I batter, and also remains the only skipper to take Pakistan to the no. 1 spot in ODI team rankings. Babar was also a member of the Pakistan team that clinched the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy.