Former Pakistan captain advises Babar Azam to focus on performance

KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan offered a piece of advice to white-ball captain Babar Azam, stating he should focus solely on his performance.

Younis addressed the media here on Saturday and shared that he only has one piece of advice to under-fire Babar Azam and that is to “perform”.

“My only advice to Babar Azam is to perform. He became the captain [of the national team] only because he was a performer,” said Younis.

“There are high expectations from Babar, and while players use social media, their real answers should come through the bat and ball,” he added.

Younis Khan further advised Babar Azam to think beyond captaincy. He also cited an example of India’s batting star Virat Kohli, who according to the former Pakistan captain, excelled after relinquishing the role.

“Performance is what matters; captaincy is a small thing,” Younis stated.

Younis, who holds the record of scoring the most Test runs for Pakistan, also asserted that Babar has the potential to surpass him, stating that the star batter can accumulate 15,000 runs in the format.

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Younis Khan then went on to urge the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to revamp departmental cricket.

“I could play cricket because of UBL. Departmental cricket has sustained many players, and its revival is crucial,” he said.

The former captain also acknowledged the prominence of franchise league cricket but emphasized that domestic cricket should not be overlooked.

Remember, the PCB decided to hold a high-profile meeting on September 22, dubbed “Connection Camp”, to discuss the future of the national cricket team as well as all-format captaincy.

But Younis Khan was of the view that the cricketing body should refrain from sudden changes, specifically in coaching setup and leadership.

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