Babar can do wonders as a batter, not captain: Shoaib Malik

Pakistani all-rounder, Shoaib Malik opined on Babar Azam’s captaincy following India’s seven-wicket win in the 12th match of the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Saturday.

The Green Shirts lost for the eighth time in the history of the World Cup against India and the subpar performances of many key players have now become a matter of concern among fans, as well as ex and current cricketers.

Similarly, talking in a local sports show, Malik expressed that he believes that Azam can do wonders but only as a batter.

“Look, I will give you my honest opinion on this. I have already said this in previous interviews that Babar should leave captaincy, it is just my opinion but there’s a lot of homework behind it,” Malik said.

“Babar, as a player, can do wonders for himself as well as the team. It is my personal opinion and that is not because we lost the game today [against India] or we lost by a big margin, no it [my opinion] is not built on that.

“I think that Babar, as a leader, doesn’t think out-of-the-box. One shouldn’t mix his leadership with his batting skills as they both are different. He has been a captain for a long time now, but he hasn’t been able to improve himself.”

Earlier, Rohit Sharma powered his side to a crucial win that saw them going all the way to the top of the ICC World Cup points table with a staggering 1.82 run rate.

The Hitman, who scored 140 against Pakistan in the 2019 World Cup, showcased his batting skills once again and top-scored for the winning side with 86 off 63 balls. His rapid knock included 12 boundaries.

Batting first, the Green Shirts were restricted to 191 in 42.5 overs courtesy of a collapse that saw them lose eight wickets for just 36 runs in 12.5 overs.

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