“Leadership weighs heavily on him” – Mohammad Azharuddin on Babar Azam

Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin feels that Pakistan captain Babar Azam is overloaded in a leadership role. This statement comes as Pakistan recently lost the Test series 3-0 to England and the ODI series 2-1 to New Zealand. Azam and Co. also drew a two-match Test series against the Blackcaps.

Furthermore, Azharuddin believes that Babar is not a natural opener. He advises him to play in the order of average.

Talking to Pakistani CricketI said:

“The burden of leadership is heavy on him. Performance is not affected, but does not render the traditional form in the short format World Cup. The captain of the Pakistan team was not a natural opener; if there is a problem with form, he finds it difficult to score; it doesn’t matter if he also hits with a lower number.

So far, in the T20Is, Babar has scored 3355 runs in 99 games with an strike rate of 127.8.

“Kohli is a little better” – Mohammad Azharuddin compares Babar Azam to Virat Kohli

Mohammad Azharuddin reviews former India captain Virat kohli front Babar Azam thanks to his over a decade of experience.

However, as a leader, he believes Babar is better but pointed to his defeat at the 2022 T20 World Cup. Azharuddin added that the duo have a unique style of play.

I said:

“Both are players with their own styles so there is no comparison, but the Indian has a lot of experience and is the best. Having a long history of achievements, Kohli is a bit better. Overall, Babar Azam’s form hasn’t been affected much by leading in all three competitions, but he hasn’t shown his traditional form in the T20 World Cup.”

Babar accumulated 124 runs in seven games with an strike rate of 93.23 at the 2022 T20 World Cup.

Next, Pakistan will host a five-match T20I series with multiple ODIs against New Zealand in April and May.