Cricket News
‘They are much more senior…’ – Shahid Afridi puts end card to Babar Azam’s captaincy debate
‘The management also has the responsibility,’ he added.
Pakistan hit the headlines post losing to England 0-3 in the Test series in their own backyard, which they least expected. The Pakistani men failed to show intent and rather fell apart eventually setting a meagre target of 167 for Ben Stokes and men, who chased it down with 8 wickets in hand. It was the first ever whitewash that Pakistan tasted in the history of 75 years and fans were too sceptical of the team.
Babar Azam, the captain of the Pakistan team, came under the radar for making questionable decisions and strategies that did not seem to work for the team. It led the way for the fans to claim that the veteran batter must be sacked as the captain of the Test format and notably, Pakistan are yet to win a Test at home this year.
Opening up on the same, the former cricketer Shahid Afridi said that it would be unfair to put the entire blame on Babar, given that it is the management’s responsibility to change the mindset of the players by stating what they expect from the players in return.
Management needs to change the mindset: Shahid Afridi
Saying that the management needs to make its stand clear, Afridi claimed that Babar cannot be blamed on the whole for all of Pakistan’s mistakes. However, fans were too quick to hit back on the social media, claiming that it was Babar’s indecisiveness that led to the disaster on the field against a strong team like the Three Lions.
“This (replacing Babar as captain) is not the solution. The mindset of the captain needs to be changed. Management needs to change the mindset, they need to demand a certain style of cricket from the captain and his team. If you have to take the Pakistan team to the top, you need to change Babar’s mindset,” Afridi was quoted as saying to Samaa TV.
“It’s not only his mistake or responsibility. The management also has the responsibility, they are so much more senior. They need to make the players understand on the style of cricket they expect from them. So, if only Babar is being held responsible for this debacle, it would be very unfair,” he added.
