Latif advises Babar to leave captaincy in case of outside influence

Rashid Latif has advised Pakistan captain, Babar Azam, to relinquish his leadership role if he receives unnecessary pressure from outside elements.

On being asked whether Babar will remain captain till 2023 World Cup, Latif replied that there is no need for change unless Babar starts getting dictated regarding what to do during his captaincy.

“Babar will remain captain. However, my advice to Babar is to step down [from captaincy], if someone tries to influence him from outside,” Latif said on his YouTube channel.

According to media reports, PCB is set to retain Babar as Pakistan captain for all three formats till the 2023 World Cup in India.

PCB management committee chairman, Najam Sethi, in recent interviews had offered conditional backing to Babar and said that Pakistan captain will not be changed as long as the team keeps winning, and the final decision will be made in consultation with Mickey Arthur.

Arthur recently arrived in Pakistan for a short visit and was announced as Pakistan’s team director during a press conference.

During his visit, Arthur held meetings with Sethi, in which he casted his vote in favour of Babar, stating that the star batter has the ability to take the team in right direction, so there is no reason for a change in captaincy. Sethi has already approved Arthur’s recommendation.

However, Pakistan all-rounder, Shoaib Malik, recently said that if he were in Babar Azam's position, he would have left Pakistan captaincy and focused more on his batting.

"Babar Azam is a great batter but we do injustice by putting his leadership qualities and batting ability on the same scale," Malik said on a local TV channel.