Wanted to test Babar Azam with T20 captaincy before appointing him as ODI captain: Misbah Ul Haq

Misbah Ul Haq, head coach & selector of the Pakistan Cricket team has claimed that making Babar Azam the skipper of the team in the shortest format was a trial to find out how he fares with the bat given the additional responsibility of captaincy.

Misbah was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan, “Making Babar captain of the T20 team last year was a tester really. We wanted to see how he will respond to the challenge and how it will affect his batting. But all of us agreed that he handled the pressure well and if anything the responsibility of being captain only made him show more responsibility as a batsman.”

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Azam’s appointment as captain of the One Day International side has drawn concerns from experts and veterans of the Pakistan Cricket team, about the pressure that would come with captaincy, which will eventually mount on the talismanic 25 year old top order batsman. Misbah has backed Azam to succeed as the skipper of the One Day International side. Being the best batsman in the team will help Babar Azam in leading the side by example, according to the former captain of Pakistan, who holds the record for the joint fastest Test hundred.
He said, “The way I look at it, being a top batsman he is best suited to lead the team by example and this would make it easier for him to also take strong decisions and for the team to follow him.”

Grant Flower, former Zimbabwe all rounder had also talked to Babar about the pressure which will come along with the captaincy of Pakistan. Flower said that considering the politics in Pakistan cricket and the reaction of fans, Babar needs to be cautious while making his decisions.