Former Pakistan captain Intikhab Alam believes Shan Masood is a better candidate to lead the country than Babar Azam in the ongoing T20 World Cup.
The Pakistan Cricket Board had already made him [Babar] captain of the three formats, which is the wrong decision. According to Intikhab, Pakistan’s first two group-stage matches against India and Zimbabwe show the green shirts lack leadership qualities.
Babar’s men sit at a dismal fifth place in group 2, just above the lowly Netherlands, and face a very tough route to the semi-finals. Having no points on their record, they must win the remaining three group games and hope for a few other favorable results.
Babar Azam and Rizwan
It is dangerous for the team to [excessively] depend on openers Babar and Rizwan; if they fail to perform in a match, the team will come under pressure,” the 80-year-old Intikab said.
Whenever match situations arise, Babar fails to monitor them appropriately and makes improper decisions,” he stated.
During the high-profile game against India, Intikhab criticized the decision to ask Mohammad Nawaz to bowl the last over.
As a general rule, the captain must take the brunt of the blame for this [wrong call] as he is the person who made it. “How does he know when to bowl, and when to let them bowl?” he argued emphatically.
Intikhab, when asked who he would pick to replace Babar as skipper, suggested Shan Masood as a potential candidate.
One-day internationals and Twenty20 internationals
Shan has the genes for leadership, at least for one-day internationals and Twenty20 internationals, in his opinion.
Additionally, Intikhab criticized the PCB for not preparing fast pitches in the home series against England.
” In preparation for the World Cup, Pakistan conducted a number of trials with different combinations of players. The PCB, however, ignored the preparations and made low-bouncing and slow pitches to beat England,” Intikhab said.
Intikhab asserted, “Don’t tell me fast pitches aren’t possible. We can make them if we want them.”
As a result, the World Cup squad selected Fakhar Zaman and Shaheen Shah Afridi without their full physical fitness.
“Shaheen’s rhythm problems at the World Cup made it difficult for me to reestablish my natural rhythm. His wicket-keeper would have been unable to collect the ball cleanly on the first attempt if he had been fully healthy at the time.
“There will be no rainouts in our remaining group games this World Cup,” he said.
