Former skipper criticizes poor infrastructure, backs Babar Azam's leadership

JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL

Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan has attributed Pakistan's disappointing performance in the T20 World Cup 2024 to the country's inadequate cricket infrastructure.

He highlighted the lack of backup for out-of-form players and the absence of a viable replacement for Babar Azam as captain.

Babar Azam has faced increasing scrutiny over the past few months. Under his leadership, Pakistan failed to reach the semi-finals of the ODI World Cup 2023 and recently exited the T20 World Cup 2024 at the group stage, failing to advance to the Super 8.

In an interview at a local news channel, Younis Khan discussed Pakistan's recent struggles in ICC tournaments. He emphasized systemic issues rather than individual player performances.

"We give our views very quickly. If we talk about our current team, the players don't have a fault. Instead, I will blame the infrastructure. If we don't have the back-up, how will you replace the (out of form) players?" Younis said.

The former skipper pointed out that there is no alternative to Babar Azam for the captaincy role, criticizing previous committees for not developing a robust infrastructure to build bench strength.

"We generally speak that Babar Azam should not be the captain. If not Babar Azam, who else should be the captain? That's not Babar Azam's fault. Neither this is the current selection committee's fault. This is the fault of something that happened 5-6 years back. We should have built our bench strength," he said.

He also highlighted the rapid changes in leadership, from the PCB chairman to the captain and even the government, which has hampered long-term planning.

"Actually the changes are happening so quickly. The chairman, captain, and even our government has changed so quickly. So, who will do the planning? This has happened from the last ten years," he concluded.

A decision on Babar Azam's captaincy is expected soon, with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi stating that consultations with former Pakistan cricketers and white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten will inform the decision.

Pakistan's next white-ball series is scheduled for November, featuring three ODIs and three T20Is against Australia.

Before that, they will play two Tests against Bangladesh and three Tests against England at home, with Shan Masood set to lead the team in the red-ball games.