Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt claimed to be Babar Azam‘s resignation as the white-ball captain has been on the agenda for a long time and the star batsman’s call-up did not surprise him.
Babar resigned from his post some time ago Pakistan white ball captain and PCB also officially accepted the resignation of the head coach. Gary Kirstenconfidential report.
With Babar stepping down from his leadership role to focus on his batting, Butt believes the decision eased the right-handed batsman, especially amid mounting criticism and pressure surrounding him and his team’s performance.
Salman Butt considers Babar Azam’s resignation as Pakistan captain as a big relief
Babar has faced an uphill battle in recent months, struggling to find his form as the men in green made a shock T20 World Cup 2024 group stage exit. Many have pointed fingers at his captaincy, questioning his ability to effectively lead a team under pressure.
However, Butt argued that this ongoing scrutiny increased the burden on Babar and prevented him from acting as a batter. The former captain was adamant that Babar’s focus should be entirely on his batting prowess and that his skills with the snake are more important to the team’s success.
With his exceptional talent, Butt emphasized that Babar can be a game-changer for the Pakistan cricket team if he dedicates himself to his batting more than the demands of captaincy. He also called Babar a great batsman as he prepares for the three-match Test series against England.
Salman Butt said on his YouTube channel, “Babar Azam has resigned from the white-ball captaincy and I think there is nothing to talk about. I think he did the right thing and he should have done it before… People were screwing him and it was the right decision by Babar. He needs to focus more on his batting and that will be more valuable for Pakistan cricket team and he is also a great batsman.
Babar Azam’s troubled tenure as Pakistan captain in short
Meanwhile, Babar Azam’s tenure as Pakistan captain has been marred by a series of disappointments, failing to win any major titles since his appointment in 2019. One of the few highlights during his tenure was Pakistan’s historic T20I win against India in the 2021 T20 World Cup. It was held in Dubai.
Pakistan then reached the final of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia where they fell short against England and Babar’s captaincy was blamed for the missed opportunity. Bad luck continued as Pakistan’s poor performance in last year’s Asia Cup saw them go out of the Super 4 after a narrow two-wicket loss to Sri Lanka in Colombo.
A tale of 2 disappointing World Cups for Babar
Later, things took a turn for the worse as Pakistan failed to qualify for the group stage of the India-hosted ODI World Cup 2023, leading to a shake-up in leadership. Shaheen Afridi took over as T20I captain but was quickly dropped after a disappointing 4-1 series defeat to New Zealand.
Babar Azam was eventually reinstated as captain for the white-ball formats, while Shan Masood led the Test team.
However, Pakistan’s struggles continued and Babar Azam faced one of the most humiliating moments of his captaincy in the 2024 T20 World Cup where they suffered a surprise defeat against the hosts USA. their opening match.
