“Take your money, play your game, get runs, go home,” Wasim Akram shares piece of advice for under-fire Babar Azam

According to Akram, being a Pakistani captain is not a problem but leading a side in league cricket will add extra pressure on him.

“Take your money, play your game, get runs, go home,” Wasim Akram shares piece of advice for under-fire Babar Azam

Babar Azam (Image via ESPNcricinfo)

Pakistan’s Babar Azam recently stepped down from the all-format captaincy after the team’s poor performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup. The Men in Green could win four out of nine matches and picked up nine points. Babar could collect 320 runs with four half-centuries.

Following his relinquishment, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appointed Shaheen Afridi as white-ball skipper, while Shan Masood was handed the red-ball captaincy.

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Babar, however, still captains the Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Pakistan great Wasim Akram wants him to leave his role as leader to focus solely on his batting. According to Akram, being a Pakistani captain is not a problem but leading a side in league cricket will add extra pressure on him.

I had 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 all right, but the league brings extra stress without any reason.
Akram told Sportskeeda

Babar Azam is set to join the elite list during the Test series against Australia

The Pakistani cricket team under Shah Masood in Australia is preparing for the three-match Test series. The first match starts on December 14 in Perth with fans eagerly waiting to see if Pakistan can emerge triumphant Down Under for the first time since 1995.

Babar Azam
Babar Azam (Image via ESPNcricinfo)

Babar Azam is on the threshold of joining an elite list during the series, possibly in the first innings itself. He has scored 12986 runs across all formats and just needs 14 runs to complete 13000 runs in international cricket, which he may score in his 50th Test match in Perth.

Upon reaching the landmark, he will join the likes of Pakistan greats Inzamam-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, and Javed Miandad. For Pakistan, Inzamam has scored the most runs (20580). Babar may surpass Miandad who has scored 16213 runs in his career in the future.

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