Former Pakistan cricket team bowler Mohammad Amir has expressed apprehensions about the current state of the Pakistan cricket team, attributing issues to Captain Babar Azam’s mindset rather than endorsing systemic changes.
Speaking on the Geo News show ‘Haarna Mana Hay,’ Amir stressed the significance of captaincy, drawing parallels with MS Dhoni’s leadership in shaping the Indian cricket team.
Amir challenged former PCB chief Ramiz Raja’s call for systemic changes, asserting that a captain is part of the system, not a separate entity. He pointed out that historical successes in 1992, 1999, 2009 T20 World Cup, and 2017 Champions Trophy were achieved under the same system.
Comparing Babar Azam’s leadership to England’s Jos Buttler, Amir highlighted England’s challenges despite being outside their system, suggesting that success stemmed from a change in the captain’s mindset rather than a complete overhaul. Amir questioned decisions like not playing Abrar Ahmad and benching Fakhar after the first match, underscoring the importance of the captain’s approach.
“As long as captain’s mindset will not change, system can do nothing. Was it the system, who told him not to play Abrar Ahmad, or bench Fakhar after first match,” said Amir.
Amir drew on personal experiences, citing instances where captaincy played a pivotal role in team selection, such as during the 2009 T20 World Cup and the 2017 Champions Trophy final. Expressing dissatisfaction with team selection, he noted a mismatch between Pakistan’s T20 strengths and ODI suitability, pointing to an abundance of T20 bowlers.
“I was not getting picked. Captain Younis Khan fought for me. Chief selector said no he is young and inexperienced, but captain kept fighting for me,” added the left-arm pacer.
Drawing inspiration from MS Dhoni’s impact on Indian cricket, Amir advocated for a mindset shift in captaincy as a means to positively influence team development, without necessitating systemic changes. In essence, Amir’s critique centers on urging Babar Azam to embrace a new approach for the betterment of the Pakistan cricket team.
“We say Dhoni changed India’s cricket, but he never changed the system. People kept saying that for how long will he keep giving Jadeja and Ashwin chances. And now we say Jadeja is World’s best all-rounder. MS Dhoni has given them the team,” the pacer further added.
