New Delhi, July 13
Former wicketkeeper batter Kamran Akmal urged Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) top brass not to make any captaincy changes and suggested that the players should get the basic right to avoid blunders.
Last week, reports started to surface that Babar Azam could lose the white-ball captaincy. Sources told Geo News that wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan has become the top contender to replace Babar Azam for the white ball captaincy.
With Pakistan set to host the ICC Champions Trophy next year, Akmal questioned the need to change the captain. He stated that the change should have been imposed when Pakistan had an underwhelming campaign in last year's ODI World Cup and this year's T20 World Cup.
"Why they wanted to bring a change now if they did not do that after losing the Asia Cup, ODI World Cup, and T20 World Cup? What difference does it make [by the way]," Akmal told Geo News.
Last year, under Babar's captaincy, Pakistan crashed out of the Asia Cup in the Super 4 after Sri Lanka inflicted a two-wicket defeat in Colombo. A couple of months later, Pakistan's struggling form continued, and they failed to reach the knockout stage of the ODI World Cup in India.
In the T20 World Cup, once again, it was a no-show from Pakistan. They lost their maiden T20I clash against the co-hosts, the USA, on a tricky surface in New York. The surprising defeat proved vital as their campaign ended in the group stage.
Akmal voiced his opinion and questioned whether the appointment of a new captain would boost the team's performance.
"Is it because the captain is not their favourite, and they want one of their choice? Do you think the new captain will bring Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, or Mitchell Starc into the team to boost its performance? If they do not get their basics right, then such blunders will continue to happen, and replacing captains will make no difference. Everyone, including the captain, coach, and selectors, should set their direction right and reform their thinking," he suggested.
Notably, Babar took a step back from captaincy of all formats after Pakistan's campaign ended in the group stage of last year's ODI World Cup.
He was once again restored as the captain of the white-ball format before the beginning of the T20 World Cup. He replaced Shaheen Shah Afridi, who led Pakistan in a single series against New Zealand. In his debut series, Pakistan suffered a 4-1 series defeat. PCB described reinstating Babar as a "strategic move."