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Babar Azam (Source: Twitter)
Following the debacle in the 2023 ODI World Cup, Pakistan cricket has undergone a lot of changes, including the resignation of Babar Azam from the captaincy of all formats of the game. Babar returned to the Pakistan side as a pure batter with Shan Masood taking charge in Tests and Shaheen Afridi in the T20 format.
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The right-handed batter, who is regarded as one of the greatest players in Pakistan's history, is now aiming to contribute to the team with his batting prowess. However, while Babar is free from leadership duties in international cricket, he is set to lead Peshawar Zalmi in the upcoming season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Former Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram, reflecting on his previous conversation with the under-fire Babar, advised him to avoid leading in the PSL. He stressed the importance of not adding extra pressure that affects the player's game.
“I had a given an idea to Babar Azam a couple of years ago that don’t do captaincy in league cricket. [You’re a] Big player, take your money, play your game, get runs, go home, and then to the next event. Pakistan’s captaincy is alright, but the league brings extra stress without any reason,” said Akram, who previously worked with Babar at Karachi Kings in PSL.
Pakistan aims to script history in Australia
Shan Masood's first assignment as Pakistan's Test captain will be a challenging one as the Men in Green are yet to win a series in Australia. The series will be crucial for both teams to have a say in the 2023-25 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. With Babar set to play solely as a batter, all eyes will be on the 29-year-old. The opening match of the series will be played in Perth from December 14.
Pakistan's Playing XI for the first Test against Australia: Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Aamir Jamal, and Khurram Shahzad.