Former cricketer Salman Butt has supported the decision of 29-year-old Babar Azam, who recently stepped down as skipper of Pakistan’s white-ball team. According to Butt, Babar should have taken this decision much earlier to focus on his batting skill
Babar declared on Wednesday that he has decided to step down because he wants to concentrate more on his game. Butt discussed it on his official YouTube channel as he mentioned that of late. Many were undermining Babar’s contributions as a captain. He had emphasized that stepping down was something good for the right-handed batter.
Butt said, “Babar Azam has resigned from white-ball captaincy, and I think there is nothing to talk about. He has opted for the right decision, which he should have taken earlier. Everybody was undermining him, and he made the right decision. Babar should focus more on his batting; it will be more price-worthy for the Pakistan cricket team. He is a great batter,” he said.
Pakistan hasn’t won a major tournament since Babar took over as captain in 2019. Last year, under his captaincy, they were knocked out of the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup. Losing to Sri Lanka in Colombo by two wickets – a defeat that did make a few question Babar’s leadership.
Matters went a step further in the ODI World Cup that India hosted, where the country failed to make it to the knockout stage. After such a disappointing campaign, Babar decided to step down from captaincy across all formats. Shaheen Shah Afridi became T20I captain. And, after a poor series against New Zealand – Pakistan lost 4-1, he also was removed.
He then returned as skipper for the white-ball teams while Shan Masood remained captain of the Test format. More disappointments lay in store for the team after they lost another chance in the T20 World Cup 2024. Pakistan lost their opening game against co-hosts USA on a tricky wicket in New York, which proved to be one of those defeats that were costly enough to send them out of the competition stages. This was indeed a defeat that cost them a further advance beyond the group stage.
Butt’s comments mirror a fast-growing sentiment among fans and analysts alike that Babar’s energies should fall back upon his batting rather than the pressures of captaincy. The new beginning will hopefully see Babar getting back to form for future successes with Pakistan on the cricketing field.
ANI