"He is above captaincy, and he shouldn't run after it"- Former Pakistan pacer urges Babar Azam to relinquish captaincy

Former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Asif urged Babar Azam to relinquish captaincy and avoid internal politics from ruining his career. Babar led Pakistan in the recent 2024 T20 World Cup, where the side were eliminated embarrassingly before the Super Eight stage.

This came after Babar was reinstated as Pakistan's white-ball captain after he gave up the role following the side's dismal 2023 ODI World Cup. The Men in Green were ousted from the tournament before the semi-final.

Speaking on a local YouTube podcast, Asif feels Babar is the only world-class player in the Pakistan lineup and called on him to rise above captaincy.

To be honest, we only have Babar Azam at this point. He is above captaincy, and he shouldn't run after it. I don't know why he is after captaincy. Babar Azam is currently the backbone; even if he steps out of the circle, he will manage. He is the only proper player right now," said Asif.

He added:

"I don't know why he is being dragged into politics, or if he is getting involved in it, he shouldn't do that. He is above the captaincy and needs to carry the young players in his circle along with him. Such politics could damage his career."

Even with Pakistan's recent struggles under Babar's leadership, the 29-year-old boasts an impressive record as captain. Under Babar, the side has won 84 and lost only 50 games across formats, making him the second-winningest Pakistan captain behind only Imran Khan.

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Babar Azam's batting numbers as captain vs non-captain

Captaincy hasn't impacted Babar's batting numbers adversely.

Despite several calls for Babar Azam to quit captaincy, the star batter boasts an impressive record with the bat when leading the Pakistani side. The 29-year-old averages an incredible 50.79 as captain with the number dropping to 42.56 as non-captain.

In ODIs, Babar averages over 60 while leading Pakistan and under 55 when just a player. It is only in T20Is that captaincy has hurt his batting, with the average dropping from 48.48 as non-captain to 37.74 as skipper.

Yet, Babar led Pakistan to the 2022 T20 World Cup final and the 2021 T20 World Cup semi-final. Across formats, the champion batter averages almost the same at around 48 as a captain or non-captain.

Shan Masood remains Pakistan's Test captain, having replaced Babar at the end of last year. As things stand, Babar is still their captain in both the white-ball formats.