Veteran Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik believes Babar Azam should step down from the captaincy. Malik, a former Pakistan captain himself, said Babar should focus on his batting to play better cricket for the national team. Malik’s comments come in the wake of Pakistan’s early exit from the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, which has sparked outrage among fans and experts.

Pakistan‘s performance was a major disappointment. They struggled to convincingly defeat teams like Canada and Ireland. The Men in Green lost crucial matches against the USA and India.

“If I were in Babar’s position, I would seriously consider resigning from the captaincy to focus on my performance. I’ve been in a similar situation myself. I was asked to captain the team again in 2009/10 but I declined, as I wanted to prioritize my own game. Babar’s numbers suggest he may benefit from stepping down. If he believes he can better serve the country by doing so, then I would advise him to make that choice,” stated Malik.

“As a captain, Babar Azam has led Pakistan in 147 international matches and 6 ICC tournaments, but he hasn’t won a title. Additionally, he has captained in 127 white-ball games without taking a break, which raises questions about his management of workload. Reportedly, there was only one instance where Babar was rested, and that was at the behest of the cricket board,” he continued.

After Pakistan’s victory over Ireland, Azam stated that the decision to retain him as captain would be up to the Pakistan Cricket Board. He also acknowledged that Pakistan’s elimination was not the fault of any individual, but rather a failure of the entire team.