Babar Azam deserves to be in control of team selection: Rehman

Pakistan’s former left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman, in an interview with Cricket Pakistan, stated that skipper Babar Azam deserved to be in control of the team’s selection.

The 41-year-old claimed that captains, in the past, had made sides that they felt were strong and the same should apply for Babar Azam.

“The first thing about Babar Azam is his performance. The whole world acknowledges that he is number one. When your performance is good and you are winning your team matches as well, it brings the morale of the team up. The captain needs to be heard because he deserves it. He is giving you great performance while batting and fielding. Whoever is with him has done the same in the past. Did they not make the teams that they saw fit? Babar should make his team as well,” Rehman said.

“He has youngsters who are good cricketers. It is not like he is siding with players who don’t know how to play. He is discussing players who have already played for Pakistan. He needs players for the upcoming World Cup who have maturity. A World Cup is a major event in which youngsters and seniors need to play side by side to make a good combination. They should listen to the captain and in the future as well debates should happen because a captain has to play a team and he has every right,” he added.

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Rehman also praised leg-spinner Zahid Mehmood and expressed hope for the bowler having a bright future.

“Zahid Mehmood, the leg-spinner, seems to have a future if he can keep bowling the way he has been recently. You have to be a little fearless. We have seen in the last season that he bowls his variations and does not become fearful. This is a good thing for him. This will come in handy for him in the future. This also shows that he has awareness of his bowling,” he said.

“I hope he has a bright future and Pakistan could really use him if Yasir Shah’s fitness is ever in doubt. For big series, you need players who can bowl longer spells and who can spin the ball. Those who can’t spin the ball find it tough in big matches,” he concluded.