‘He is ready’: Hasan Ali names Babar Azam's replacement as Pakistan captain
Babar Azam and Co. endured humiliating series defeats against England and Australia, before playing two draws against New Zealand at home.
Pakistan's recent outings, especially in the longer format, have been a little short of disaster. Babar Azam and Co. endured humiliating series defeats against England and Australia, before playing two draws against New Zealand at home. The series of poor results brought a lot of flak on current captain Babar Azam, with few insisting that he should give up the leadership role in one format.
Babar too was asked about the same during a presser, and it didn't go down well with the captain. Amidst all the chatter, and with the focus now shifting to the Pakistan Super League (PSL), star pacer Hasan Ali has named a player, who is “ready” to replace Babar at the helm.
“He is ready [for Pakistan captaincy]. He has proved himself as a captain in PSL. I think he has also led Pakistan in two matches, so I think he is ready. He is always ready for any challenge and gives his best,” said Hasan when asked to share his thoughts on Shadab as next Pakistan captain.
Both Hasan and Shadab play for Islamabad United in PSL and the latter has been leading the side since 2019. Shadab is also the vice-captain of Pakistan in limited overs, but Shan Masood replaced him for the New Zealand series, which the spinner missed due to an injury.
Shadab has led Islamabad 32 times, out of which the team have won 17 and lost 15.
The latest edition of the PSL started from Monday, with Lahore Qalandars defeating Multan Sultans by 1 run in the season opener. The fixture also marked the return of Shaheen Shah Afridi in competitive cricket, having being sidelined for several months due to troubled knee.
In fact Shaheen emerged as the standout bowler from the Lahore camp as he conceded 27 runs in his four overs. He also got the prized wicket off opposition captai Mohammad Rizwan for 77 off 50 balls. Meanwhile, Shadab's Islamabad United will kick-off their campaign against Karachi Kings on Thursday.
