Vaas reveals why Babar Azam is not leading Colombo Strikers in LPL 2023

Chaminda Vaas, the bowling coach of Colombo Strikers and former Sri Lankan pacer, shed light on why Babar Azam is not leading the team in the ongoing Lanka Premier League.

While speaking to The Hindustan Times, Vaas revealed that Babar had expressed his preference to focus solely on his batting, and the team management respected his decision. As a result, the responsibility of captaincy was entrusted to Niroshan Dickwella.

“Babar wanted to play just as a batter and we respected his decision. Niroshan Dickwella is our captain. If you take Babar Azam, we all know that he’s the number one batsman in the world and the way he performs and contributes to the team is amazing,” Vaas said.

Vaas believes that Babar's presence will provide a great learning opportunity for the younger players in the squad, who can benefit immensely from observing and playing alongside such a world-class talent.

“All the youngsters can learn so much from him. I’m so excited to see him play in the Lanka Premier League. Apart from him, there is Naseem Shah. A top bowler in the world, and working with him alongside (Matheesha) Pathirana is great,” he added.

Babar was adjudged player of the match for his gritty knock of 59 runs from 52 balls, as Colombo Strikers beat B-Love Kandy by 27 runs, to register their first win in Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2023 on Monday.

Impressed by Babar's performance, skipper Niroshan Dickwella delivered a motivating post-match pep talk to the entire team, using Babar's innings as an example for others to learn from. Dickwella urged his teammates to draw inspiration from Babar's never-give-up attitude, especially in challenging conditions, which ultimately led to the team's victory.

“Learn from the best. He didn’t give up. It was not easy to bat on that wicket and he was there till the end. That inning gave us a good score,” Dickwella said.