Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been under fire due to his captaincy and the results of some recent matches, especially at home. Last year, Babar led his side to the finals in the Asia Cup as well as the T20 World Cup, where Pakistan lost to Sri Lanka and England, respectively.
After the white-ball battle, the Men in Green hosted England and New Zealand in the Test series, where the touring parties had a more fruitful time. While the English team defeated Pakistan by 3-0 in the Test leg, the Black Caps managed to draw the 2-match Test series.
However, this didn’t affect Babar’s individual performance as he kept smashing runs and accomplishing several milestones. The Lahore-born finished as the highest run-scorer in international cricket in 2022, amassing 2598 runs in 52 innings, including a brilliant score of 196. He smashed 17 half-centuries and eight hundreds.
Despite his individual batting brilliance, Pakistan as a team have failed to do well in the recent past, and this led to numerous fans and experts suggesting a new leader for Pakistan cricket. In the mid of all this, former Pakistan fast bowler and a legend of the game, Wasim Akram, urged everyone to give Babar some time as the 28-year-old will prove he is the best in the business.
“Babar Azam’s captaincy is under criticism these days; in this difficult time, a strong hand of support came on his shoulder. We don’t need any enemy; we are self-sufficient; stop making fun of yourself; if you have Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, or Mike Brierley sitting next to you, then you will understand Babar Azam has a 2-3 years chance. He will prove to be the best captain,” said Akram while speaking to Cricket Pakistan.
Notably, under the leadership of Babar, Pakistan have played 18 Tests in which they have won eight times and faced six defeats. The remaining four games ended in a draw.
