Follow UsPakistan failed to make it to the semi-final of the World Cup after winning just four of their nine games in the tournament. Babar Azam had an ordinary tournament, managing just 320 runs in nine innings and scoring just four fifties along the way. As a result, on Wednesday (November 15), he stepped down as captain across formats.
Babar, who was appointed captain in 2019, managed to take his side to the T20 World Cup final last year, but other than that, the side did not have any impact in any major tournament.
Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi, who was also the selector in the recent past, says that Babar never managed to prove himself to be a good leader during this time.
"I'm a fan of Babar. Babar is a big player, for me, he is like a younger brother. I wanted Babar to join the list of top captains in the world. He's been captain since four years or so, there was never a sword hanging over his head," Afridi said during an event in Karachi.
"We all supported him during this phase. We thought in 3-4 years, he would be well-groomed to handle the responsibility as a captain. He would mould himself as a captain. But this didn't happen. He could not improve in this period and could not prove himself as a good leader."
Afridi was also disappointed with the way Babar led the side at the World Cup. "We have seen plenty of errors during the World Cup," Afridi said.
"A leader's role is to take everyone along. He cannot have just one or two players who are doing well, he needs to have eight or nine players who are playing good cricket and whom he can consult on decisions."
Shaheen Afridi was named Pakistan's T20I captain following Babar's resignation, while Shan Masood will lead the team in Tests.