MUMBAI
Former Australian opening batsman and Pakistan’s former batting coach Matthew Hayden has expressed his sadness after hearing Babar Azam’s announcement of his resignation from the captaincy of the Pakistan team in all formats.
On a sports show, Matthew Hayden said of Babar’s captaincy that he was shocked to hear of his resignation.
He said that Babar is a world class player.
Matthew Hayden said, “I’m often surprised by the reaction I get when I talk about Pakistan because it seems like the whole environment is changing emotionally.” Babar Azam is a world class player.
“Whoever replaces him now, go with Mohammad Rizwan. For the success of the team, the posts of captain and vice-captain should stay with these two players,” he added.
Matthew Hayden said that Pakistan faced challenges especially in this World Cup as they went without Naseem. He had concerns about the world-class left-arm pacer and both he and Shaheen were closely watched during the Asia Cup where he looked a little nervous.
He said that Fakhar Zaman did not look in form in this tournament and by the time his form returned, it might be too late for Pakistan. Moreover, their spinners Nawaz and Shadab have raised concerns about their position in the team. They failed to provide a challenging spell for the opposition.
Matthew Hayden said, “I always think with Pakistan it’s nothing to do with the leadership group itself, it’s just the game as a whole that’s structured to be conducive to a high performance culture that I think is Pakistan.” I feel the most challenging factor for cricket.
He said that Pakistan had fired the gun a bit too early by removing Babar as captain because he had recognized his leadership skills and sensational performance as a captain.
