LAHORE: Pakistan’s former batting coach Grant Flower believes the risks and rewards of captaincy are immense, and while it can propel some to greatness, it can also derail others – something he fears could be the case for Babar Azam if he is not careful of the politics so rife in Pakistan cricket.
Flower, who was with the national team from 2014 till last year, worked closely with Azam and is well aware of how gifted the Lahore-born is.
"The first time I saw him play and first time I worked with him, when I threw balls at him at the academy in Lahore, he picked up length so much quicker than the rest of the players and I think that's the hallmark of a great batsman,” the Zimbabwean is quoted as saying by Stats Perform News.
Azam, easily the most valuable player in Pakistan cricket, was recently made the captain of both the limited overs teams. Flower stopped short of saying that Azam was not built to lead but he did point out the dangerous territory his former pupil will now be treading.
"He's got a good cricketing brain but there's a lot of politics in Pakistan cricket and a lot of pressure from the public,” said Flower, who is now the batting coach of Sri Lankan team under former Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur. "If you start losing, it's one thing being the best batsman but that will put pressure on your batting skills and it can all come tumbling down pretty quickly. We've seen with great players in the past the pressures that captaincy can bring, but some players get better and if he gets better than the world is his oyster. Time will tell,”
Babar Azam was recently made the captain of both the limited overs units.
Meanwhile, former Skipper Ramiz Raja believes Pakistani captain Babar Azam should lead the team aggressively, saying the Lahore-born cricketer would have to take strong decisions in the game.
While citing the examples of captaincy models of Indian Virat Kohli and New Zealand's Kane Williamson, Raja said Kohli was an aggressive, emotional and passionate captain who has a strong body language, whereas Williamson remains cool on the field, who follows the process and has a good selection.
"Pakistan cricket has the aggression and the Kohli model suits our game but we lack consistency in the 50 overs and Tests due to which we have a low confidence level," he said on his YouTube Channel.
Ramiz, who represented Pakistan during the 1980s and the 1990s, said Babar needs to understand to pay the price of captaincy by taking strong decisions. "At sometimes you will have to take strong decisions by sacrificing your best friends for the sake of the team and good combinations," he said.
Ramiz, who scored 2,833 runs in 57 Tests, said Babar had expressed the desire to idolize the leadership qualities of the 1992 World Cup winning captain and current Prime Minister, Imran Khan. "Babar should know that Imran took decisions on merit and has always tweaked his team according to the opposition," he said.