Babar Azam was recently named the limited-overs captain of the Pakistan side as he was given the reins of the ODI side as well. The stylish right-hander is often compared to Indian captain Virat Kohli and one former Pakistan player wants Babar to polish himself in terms of off-field and on-filed aspects.
Tanvir Ahmed felt that Babar needs to work on his personality and also work on polishing his English speaking skills. Pakistani captains of yesteryears have been ridiculed for their inability to speak fluent English, but in this modern age, with growing media interactions, Ahmed felt the new captain should better himself.
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“Try to improve your personality. By personality, I mean a person can change his dressing sense. Babar Azam also needs to improve his English, which is necessary. Whenever someone becomes a captain, he has to talk during the toss and post-match presentation. Plus, he will also give interviews on various channels when he tours different countries,” Ahmed said on his YouTube channel and was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Not only did Ahmed wanted Azam to polish his English and looks, he also pointed out that he should work on his fitness and be an example for his teammates.
“A leader needs to be punctual and organized as the players follow the captain. He should also maintain his fitness level, because if the captain himself isn’t fit, then he can’t advise other players on improving their fitness,” he said.
“It remains to be seen how Babar leads the team. He needs to be mentally strong as even a slight dip in performance as captain will invite a lot criticism from media. So he will have to tolerate the criticism and not react to it. If he reacts, then things will get very difficult for him,” he added.
Babar has been handed the reins of captaincy just 5 years after making his debut in 2015 and Ahmed mentioned that captaincy is not an easy job and Azam will be tested.
“Captaincy isn’t an easy job. However, I am happy for Babar as he has become captain after only five years since making his debut in 2015. If any player becomes a captain in such a short period of time, then it is an extraordinary achievement for him,” he signed off.
Here is the video:
