Babar Azam and his men are currently busy playing the two-match Test series at home against the Kiwis. Earlier this month, England whitewashed the Men in Green at home in the three-match Test series. Fans were also not happy as they slammed Babar Azam for his captaincy throughout that series.
Meanwhile, after that series loss, the Pakistan Cricket Board sacked Ramiz Raja from the Chairman post. Then, Najam Sethi got appointed as the new Chairman of Pakistan cricket. Now, during this series opener against New Zealand, Najam Sethi opened up about the chances of Babar Azam getting removed as the skipper.
“Babar Azam is the star of Pakistan.” – Najam Sethi
During a press conference, Najam Sethi said: “Babar Azam is the star of Pakistan. Without him, the Pakistan team would be without its son of the soil. He is in our hearts and will always remain there. I will listen to advice and recommendations from the people I appoint as I don’t make cricketing decisions by myself.”
Regarding the recent Asia Cup 2023 controversy, Najam Sethi said that they will follow all the suggestions from the Government only. He said: “We will obey whatever the government would suggest to us and we will seek the government’s advice when the time arrives, similar to the last time I was the chairman. As far as the Asia Cup is concerned, I will go to the Asian Cricket Council and see what the situation is and we’ll take a decision that is in the better interest of the game. We have to see what the other board’s position is, we have to play cricket with everyone, and we will not take any step which can cause any isolation.”
Speaking of the match, Pakistan scored 438 runs in 130.5 overs in their first innings. Babar Azam scored 161 runs off 280 balls, including 15 fours and one six. In reply, at the end of day two, New Zealand got off to a great start. They scored 165 runs without losing any wickets in 47 overs.