Welcome back, Babar!

Some experts believe Babar lacks the knack to lead the team; is quite bossy; is not open to suggestions from teammates

Babar Azam is back at helm of Pakistan cricket team — well, for ODIs and T20Is. Babar lost the captaincy of all three formats of the game after Team Pakistan’s dismal performance in ODI World Cup in November last year. So it’s been just four months or so that Babar is back in the lead.

Cricket fans have nearly unanimously greeted Babar’s return as skipper, though the response from experts is mixed. Some of the experts believe Babar lacks the knack to lead the team; is quite bossy; is not open to suggestions from teammates; and tends to count on a select group of favourites, something that gives rise to grouping and division within the team. There are other experts who think that Babar, being the most experienced member of the national team and one of the best batsmen in the world having an envious record, is well-placed to command respect from teammates — something that alone makes him a perfect captain material.

Well, one of the top most criteria for a skipper is that his selection must not be in doubt i.e. he is picked up in the playing eleven because of his performance and not by default. Based on this criterion, Babar is second to none in the current national team. Also, with skipper now part of the selection committee, Babar will enjoy an official say in selection matters and his choices will be open to scrutiny by other six members of the selection committee. And where the issue of grouping and player power is concerned, it is generally believed that the incumbent PCB chairman, having full backing from the top, is strong enough to handle such an undesired activity.

Anyhow, Babar’s first assignment after reinstatement will be leading Pakistan in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand at home, starting April 18. Thereafter, Pakistan will visit Ireland and England in May, before the T20 World Cup in the US and the West Indies from June 2.

Best of luck to Babar Azam and Team Pakistan!

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2^nd, 2024.

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