Nazar highlights issue with Babar’s Test batting

Former Pakistan cricketer Mudassar Nazar has raised eyebrows with his critical comments on the performance of the former Test captain Babar Azam and the captaincy appointment of Shan Masood.

In an exclusive interview with Cricket Pakistan, Nazar talked about the stark contrast in Babar's performance across different formats of the game. Despite acknowledging Babar's excellence as a Test batsman, Nazar noted a noticeable difference in his approach.

"The performance of Babar in Tests is quite different from his ODI and T20 performances. Although, he is an excellent Test batsman, but he chases the ball a little [in Tests]. In Perth Test, he faced both deliveries that would have gotten any batter out, and there was nothing he could do about it. It was that sort of a pitch that anyone can get out at any time," Nazar said.

Nazar also shared his reservations about the appointment of Shan as Test captain, criticizing the practice of promoting individuals solely based on their proficiency in English rather than consistent performance on the field.

"I haven't formed an opinion [about Shan as captain], but I am against the idea of bringing somebody out of the blue and then making them captain just because they know English; this is not the right thing to do. Shan is a very fine player in his own. If he had been consistently performing in the team and was made captain, that would have been fine," Nazar said.

Nazar further highlighted that Shan's captaincy appointment seemed to be part of a trend where efforts were made to include him in the team and subsequently hand him the captain's armband.

"I have observed efforts being made for a while now to somehow accommodate him in the team and later make him captain. This happened in Najam Sethi's era, and now under Zaka Ashraf, the same is happening," he added.

Shan, according to Nazar, now finds himself in a challenging position, constantly looking over his shoulder as he leads the team during a difficult series without having secured a consistent spot in the playing XI.

"Poor guy, what can he do? He was made captain on such a challenging tour when there was no place for him in the team. He was made captain during such a difficult series when there was no spot for him in the team," he concluded.