Pakistan men’s cricket team’s all-format’s skipper Babar Azam came across a weird question in a press conference arranged by the Pakistan Cricket Board ahead of the Pakistan vs England 1st Test match. A journalist queried if Azam’s next task shall be quitting T20I captaincy to improve his performance.
The captain first addressed the ‘performance’ aspect and said that such phases are part of every cricketer’s career and there is always room for improvement. Secondly, he answered the journalist’s query if Azam should quit the T20I captaincy. The right-handed batter narrated that he tries to improve every time, but there is no such thing as captaincy pressure.
It is pertinent to mention here that Azam’s performances in the recently-concluded ICC T20 World Cup 2022 were not up to the mark. And it became a matter of debate in the cricketing fraternity with the questions being raised on his leadership.
However, it was another moment of pride for Pakistan to reach the T20 World Cup 2022 final, as they earlier managed the World Cup semifinal in 2021 facing Australia, and Asia Cup 2022 encountering Sri Lanka in the final under Azam’s captaincy.
His statements read,
“Everyone makes mistakes, and nobody is perfect. My performance, not at all, is deteriorating because of captaincy pressure, and leading Pakistan across all formats is more like an honour for me.
Coming across a lousy phase is what every cricketer faces, and it does not mean that one should leave a post to do better. Ups and downs come and go. The outsiders think differently, whereas the one playing knows the insights better.
One should always try to learn from mistakes since there is always space for improvement. I am not saying that I am the best, and I believe I can learn more over time to do even better.”
Here is the video:
What Babar Azam thinks on leaving T20I captaincy?
Notably, Azam’s next task as a skipper will be to lead the side in a three-match test series against England starting on December 1st. Below is the schedule for Pak vs Eng historic Test series, happening for the first time on Pakistani soil in 17 years.
Pak vs Eng Test series schedule
1st Test
Date: December 1st to 5th
Venue: Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
Time: 10:00 am PST
2nd Test
Date: December 9th to 13th
Venue: Multan Cricket Stadium
Time: 10:00 am PST
3rd Test
Date: December 17th to 21st
Venue: National Stadium Karachi
Time: 10:00 am PST
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