'Captaincy Is A Hard Thing' - Inzamam-ul-Haq Talks About Babar Azam's Struggles

Despite the string of poor performances, former Pakistan cricketer Inzamam-ul-Haq backed Babar Azam and the entire coaching staff.

Babar Azam in action. ( Image Source :Getty )

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has been struggling with his leadership skills as he has failed to win a single Test match in 2022. They got whitewashed against England in a three-match Test series in December last year. Despite the string of poor performances, former Pakistan cricketer Inzamam-ul-Haq backed Babar Azam and the entire coaching staff.

"There is no captaincy pressure on him, he is answering the critics with his bat. Captaincy is a hard thing, and you learn it with time. Babar is currently going through that phase. He needs our support at this time. The more confidence the captain gets, the better decisions he takes. I don't think he should be replaced," Inzamam said in an event by Cricket Pakistan.

"There are ups and downs in the performance of the team, but Saqlain Mushtaq and Mohammad Yousuf have done a good job," added Inzamam.

Inzamam's statement comes after the new chairman of PCB Najam Sethi stated that they will be looking to hire foreign coaches soon. Earlier, in the final and fourth innings of PAK vs NZ 2nd Test, Sarfaraz had come out to bat when his team was reeling at 77/4 while chasing 319 on Day 5. Not only he just scored a brilliant century (118 runs off 176 balls) but also nearly won the match for his team. His remarkable century knock on Friday is easily one of the finest 4th innings knocks in recent times.

HE'S DONE IT! 💯

A fourth-innings masterclass from @SarfarazA_54 as he brings up his 4️⃣th Test century 💪#PAKvNZ | #TayyariKiwiHai pic.twitter.com/Vmbh9Ti7zR

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) January 6, 2023

In the two Test match series, Pakistan and New Zealand concluded in a 0-0 draw. Pakistan will now be playing in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, starting from January 9 in Karachi.

Squads:

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Salman Agha, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shan Masood, Tayyab Tahir, Usama Mir.

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c) Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Henry Shipley, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee.