Former Pakistan captain Saleem Malik believes that Babar Azam should be given adequate amount of time to prove his captaincy credentials.
Azam, who is considered one of the best batters in the world, currently leads Pakistan in all formats of the game.
“Babar Azam is a young captain and you can’t learn the art of captaincy in one day,” Malik told local media in Lahore.
“Azam is a renowned name in Pakistan cricket and he should be given complete chance to prove himself. This is also important in terms of making a good Pakistan team.
“If Babar makes mistakes, we should guide him instead of doing unnecessary criticism.”
He also heaped praise on opener Fakhar Zaman, who smashed a third consecutive century to guide Pakistan to a seven-wicket victory over New Zealand in the second ODI of the five-match series on Saturday.
“Fakhar Zaman played really well and this is precisely the reason why I have always said that he should be a permanent member of our playing XI,” he said.
The last three matches of the ODI series, which Pakistan lead 2-0, are in Karachi on May 3, 5 and 7.
“The pitches in Rawalpindi were conducive for batting but I don’t think that the same can be said about the surface in Karachi. Spinners will play a crucial role in Karachi and I don’t think that we will see big scores,” Malik said.
The 60-year-old also hoped that Pakistan will put up a good show during this year’s ICC World Cup in India.
“We are playing good cricket at the moment and I’m hopeful that we can continue that and win the World Cup,” he concluded.
- Babar Azam