Shoaib Akhtar highlights sea change in Babar Azam's captaincy

Former speedster Shoaib Akhtar has praised Babar Azam's captaincy and credited the Pakistan management for grooming him to reach his full potential.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Akhtar said that Pakistan has done a tremendous job thus far in the T20 World Cup, and irrespective of whether the team wins or losses, the entire nation stands with Babar Azam and his team.

"Pakistan cruised through the Super 12s and their performances have been brilliant, the team needs to focus on delivering their best performance and leave the rest in the hands of God," said Akhtar.

The 46-year-old credited Babar Azam's captaincy as one of the factors due to which the Pakistan cricket team has done well.

"The team management gave responsibility and liberty to him [Babar] and he looked like a proper captain for the first time in this tournament. One of the main reasons was because Babar was not being guided from the outside. Instead, he was allowed to make his own decisions," added Shoaib.

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Repeat of 1999 World Cup? 

Building on Pakistan's performances and their chances of getting to the final, Akhtar remained cautious of a repeat episode of the 1999 World Cup.

"The last time we cruised through the like this was back in 1999 World Cup and I hope we don't repeat the same mistakes as we did then," he said. "If we get to the finals, it is my plea to the team, please don't take the pressure."

 "We made the wrong call to bat first in 1999 and don't repeat the mistakes. Just play your natural game and know that the entire nation is behind you whether we win or lose," Akhtar concluded.