‘Let somebody else have the headache’: Lloyd on Babar’s resignation as captain

Former England cricketer David Lloyd believes it is the right decision by Babar Azam to relinquish Pakistan captaincy in all formats.

Babar, who stepped down as Pakistan captain following Pakistan's failure to qualify for semi-finals of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, has chosen to focus on his batting prowess as he gears up for the challenging tour of Australia.

Lloyd emphasized the challenges associated with Pakistan captaincy, highlighting that managing the team on the field is the simpler aspect, while dealing with the political aspects and aftermath of losses can be chaotic.

 “The easiest part [of captaincy] is changing the bowling and setting the field. All the political stuff when it comes off and post mortem about the losses is chaotic,” Lloyd told a foreign media journalist.

Recognizing Babar Azam as one of the world's great players at the moment, Lloyd suggested that Azam should focus on his batting.

“Babar Azam is one of the great players of the world at the minute. Just get on with playing and let somebody else have the headache,” he added.

Following Babar's resignation, the Pakistan Cricket Board took the opportunity to appoint new leaders for the Test and T20I formats. Shan Masood was designated as the Test captain, while the role of T20I skipper went to pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi.