New Delhi: Seeing the precarious condition of the Pakistani cricket team, former cricketer Sanjay Manjarekar has remarked that Ramiz Raza should captain Pakistan rather than Babar Azam. Babar has been a subject of intense controversy and scrutiny after the former failed to take his team to Super 8.
In the 3 matches that Pakistan has played, Babar’s highest score has been 32 which came against Ireland. But by that time the train had left the station and the men in green had already exited the group stage. Many experts like former Pakistani batsman Ahmed Shehzad have called for the resignation of Babar.
🗣️ Babar Azam: “We lost not because of one person, but as a team. As a captain, I can’t play in place of every player.” pic.twitter.com/f9fcJlWSQZ
— CricWick (@CricWick) June 16, 2024
According to many PCB officials and former cricketers, Babar Azam’s internal favouritism for players like Rizwan, Shadab and Azam Khan has opened up a rift between him and the former captain Shaheen Afridi. Although these speculations have remained as mere rumours, there have been some internal problems as reported by unknown sources.
Manjarekar’s witty tale on Pakistan’s plight
Suggesting an anecdotal pun, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjarekar has advised the PCB to put Ramiz Raja as the captain rather than Babar Azam. Manjarekar further added “…Maybe he can become a CEO for the team, who knows?…” Although Manjarekar’s statement appears to be comical, it shows the deep problem that the Pakistani team is in.
Babar Azam vs Jasprit Bumrah pic.twitter.com/OWrzfJMbrE
— Johns (@JohnyBravo183) June 11, 2024
Ramiz Raja who has been the messiah of the Pakistani team has been one of the pillars of PCB and a long-term server of the game. A member of the memorable 1992 team, Ramiz Raja has already won the silverware once under the Great Imran Khan. Currently, he is a member of the ICC’s official commentary panel.
Most runs as captain in T20 WCs:
549 – Babar Azam (17 inns)*
529 – MS Dhoni (29 inns)
527 – Kane Williamson (19 inns)
360 – M Jayawardene (11 inns)
352 – Graeme Smith (16 inns) pic.twitter.com/9wYaANAHt6— Himanshu Pareek (@Sports_Himanshu) June 16, 2024
Under the tenure of Ramiz Raja, Pakistan reached the semifinals of the 2021 T20 WC and the Final of the 2022 T20 World Cup. Therefore, even if the comment was made under comical circumstances, Manjarekar’s bluff was not completely utopian!
