Babar Azam named Pak captain too early, says Sarfraz Nawaz

LAHORE: Former pacer and reverse swing legend Sarfraz Nawaz thinks that Pakistan’s No.1 batsman Babar Azam has been named captain too early. Quoted by media, Nawaz said that Babar needed more exposure before being handed the captaincy.

“I think it’s too early for him to be a captain. He should have been given more exposure as a batsman and a vice-captain before giving the reins of the team,” he said. “Team members respect the skipper only when he is experienced and matured. Babar Azam is lacking on this front,” he added. The 71-year-old Nawaz on the current Pakistan bowling line up said that emerging pacers Naseem Shah and Mohammad Hasnain are not well-built whereas Shaheen Shah Afridi lacks sharpness in his bowling. “Naseem Shah and Mohammed Hasnain are quite effective but they are too young. Taking a look at their frail physiques and considerable heights, I don’t think they would be able to play longer for Pakistan. One has to be well-built for a long career as a fast bowler. Shaheen Shah Afridi is a medium pacer and lacks sharpness,” he maintained.

Latif, Akhtar not impressed with Babar’s video talk: Former wicketkeeper batsman Rashid Latif and pace legend Shoaib Akhtar have said that limited-overs skipper Babar Azam displayed a "lack of insight" when addressing certain issues in a recent teleconference set up by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Recently, Azam spoke over matters related to his English skills, being compared to India skipper Virat Kohli and idolising Imran Khan’s captaincy.

The ex-cricketers were apparently not impressed with Azam’s talk which they deemed "scripted", and said that the star batsman needed to speak on more meaningful topics. In quotes credited to a local TV channel, Akhtar and Latif stated that Azam should have made impressionable comments about his vision as captain instead of discussing trivial matters.

"When a captain is sitting in a press conference, he gives insight about his vision but this was clearly lacking. Our captain is giving headlines about language barrier and things we already know, like comparison with Virat Kohli," Latif said.

"Azam should have made a strong statement rather than just following the script given to him. You have already showcased that your mental attitude and approach is not up to the mark." he added. Meanwhile, Akhtar advised Azam to not just take inspiration from Imran's playing style but also emulate his captaincy style.