Regarded by many as Pakistan’s best batsman, Babar Azam has been handed over the reins of captaincy.
Azam will be the skipper for the home series against South Africa that starts on January 26, at the National Stadium in Karachi.
This is a big milestone in the journey of a player who started off as a ball boy in 2007.
Pakistan’s coach, Misbah-ul-Haq expressed confidence in Babar’s abilities.
Said Misbah, “Even when I began, like everyone else, I started from zero. You have to start somewhere. I think the important thing is that when we did some scenario practice, there were discussions with me, the coaches, the bowlers, what plan we take forward and how we execute them… the rest is upto Babar going in with a free mind, and he’s an intelligent cricketer.”
“Anyone who scores runs like he does at this level understands how to deal with opposition batsmen, what works for him etc. We also need to give Babar a free hand and let him react to situations – how to attack, how to take his team forward. Hopefully he’ll learn this way and he’ll improve his captaincy along the way.”
Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq also underlined that his team will try to “forget what happened in New Zealand” and start with a fresh slate.
