Babar Azam gets suggestion from Sarfaraz Ahmed on improving captaincy

Former Pakistan team skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed has given a suggestion to national side captain Babar Azam on how he can improve as the team’s leader.

In a conversation with YouTuber Nadir Ali, Sarfaraz, who also played under Babar’s captaincy, said he needs to improve communication with his players.

“There is always room for improvement. Babar is getting better as a captain. He has started doing good and I hope will keep on getting better,” said the Champions Trophy 2017-winning captain.

“My suggestion to him is that he needs to improve communication with his players. Good communication will make his players confident and it will produce big results,” he added.

Sarfaraz is recognised as one of the most successful Pakistani captains. He is the only Pakistani captain two have won two ICC trophies — the Champions Trophy and U19 World Cup.

The wicket-keeper batter, who recently scored a Test century on a comeback against New Zealand in Karachi, lamented that a single mistake puts players in trouble in Pakistan.

“In Pakistan, making a mistake is a sin. I know Babar makes mistakes but give him some time. It takes time to become a captain and build a team. We need to be patient and support Babar as he is our captain,” he highlighted.

“Gradually, Babar will learn from his mistakes if he continues as a captain in the future. I have played under him recently, and I have seen improvement in his captaincy. He will do good for Pakistan,” he concluded.

It must be noted here that under Babar’s captaincy, Pakistan played the semi-final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, the finals of the Asia Cup 2022 and the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. Pakistan also won the tri-nation series in New Zealand just before the mega T20 event.

Despite leading Pakistan with consistent performances in multi-nation tournaments, Babar has often suffered criticism related to his captaincy.

As captain, Babar’s home season last year didn’t go up to the mark. Pakistan lost the Test series against Australia, England, and New Zealand. They also lost the T20I series and ODI series against New Zealand respectively.