Babar carrying the captaincy responsibility excellently: Razzaq

ISLAMABAD, Former all-rounder Abdul Razzaq believes Pakistani Skipper Babar Azam was an outstanding batsman saying the Lahore-born cricketer was carrying the responsibility of captain excellently in all three formats.

“Babar Azam to me is an outstanding batsman and he is doing an excellent job carrying the responsibility of captain in all three formats. But most importantly, he is doing so because he is getting great support from the management. To me this is key because if the captain has a good relationship with the management, things become much easier for him and the players,” Pakpassion.net quoted him as saying.

He said Pakistan’s batting was doing well. “We only have to look at the likes of South Africa, Australia, Sri Lanka and England who are now in the middle of a similar rebuilding phase as us. We saw how South Africa are faring of late, so thankfully Pakistan is not at that stage and I am very happy that our batting, bowling and fielding has shown a marked improvement.

“To me, the secret to reaching the first or second position in ICC’s rankings in all formats is to improve in all three facets, in much the same way as Australia was dominating all other teams about 20 years ago. I am hopeful that the way things are going, Pakistan will reach the first or second position in all formats very soon,” he said.

Speaking about head coach Misbah ul Haq, Razzaq said a head coach needs to be a good human being. “Not only should he have the skills, but he should also be one who has the ability to empathise with his players and to be their best friend.

I feel that Misbah is blessed with all these qualities and he is doing a splendid job, and most importantly the players are also very comfortable with Misbah as their Head Coach,” he said.

Speaking about young budding players who have a bright future, Razzaq said Mohammad Wasim Jr, Mohammad Imran, Aamer Azmat and Arshad Iqbal who debuted in T20s against Zimbabwe recently have been good.

He said school and club cricket were important for any country where the passion and skills of a cricketer are developed to the fullest.

“Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made renewed efforts to develop this important aspect of Pakistan cricket.

I am confident that we will see improvements at not only School and Club level but also College and University cricket will emerge in much better shape soon,” he said.