Pakistan star all-rounder urges captaincy change for Pakistan’s Cricket team after embarrassing 7-wicket loss to India in ODI World Cup 2023

Former Pakistani cricket team captain and star all-rounder Shoaib Malik shared his thoughts on Babar Azam’s captaincy after India’s seven-wicket victory in the 12th match of the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023, which took place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday.

The Pakistani cricket team faced their eighth loss to India in ODI World Cup history. The underwhelming performances of several key players have raised concerns among fans and former as well as current cricketers. During a discussion on a local sports show, Malik conveyed his belief that Babar Azam has the potential to excel but primarily as a batter not as a captain.

“I gave an opinion in the past as well that Babar Azam should leave captaincy. This is my personal opinion. Babar does not think out of the box as a captain. He is doing captaincy but the improvement is not coming. He can do wonders for Pakistan as a player.” Malik was quoted as saying by The Cricket Lounge.

Should PCB sack Babar Azam from captaincy?

Babar’s leadership was going smoothly until the India-Pakistan match. Their World Cup 2023 campaign had a strong start with two consecutive victories. They convincingly defeated the Netherlands by a margin of 81 runs and successfully chased down 345 runs to win against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad. These wins demonstrated the team’s skill and gave fans hope for a successful season.

However, the loss to India has raised doubts and sparked discussions about the consistency of the team’s performance under Babar’s captaincy. It’s essential to keep in mind that cricket is an unpredictable and ever-changing game, and every captain experiences both successes and setbacks.

The Pakistan Cricket Board must make a decision about whether to take Shoaib Malik’s suggestions seriously or continue with their current captain. Pakistan have 2 contenders who can replace Babar as a captain, Mohammad Rizwan and Shadab Khan.