"Hamari or Pakistan ki Shan, jaan or pehchan hai" - Shaheen Afridi backs skipper Babar Azam after Test series loss against England
Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi has come out in support of his skipper Babar Azam after a 0-3 defeat in the home Test series against England. The Men in Green captain has been heavily criticized after losing two consecutive home Test series.
Pakistan lost the three-match Test series against Australia by a 1-0 margin in March 2022. They have now succumbed to a whitewash against Ben Stokes and Co., who traveled to the Asian nation to play a Test series after 17 long years.
While many have urged the management to sack Babar as Pakistan's Test captain, Shaheen feels the former is still the best candidate to lead the nation. The lanky pacer, who is out of action due to an injury, penned an emotional note in support of his skipper on Twitter that read:
"Babar Azam hamari or Pakistan ki Shan, jaan or pehchan hai," Shaheen wrote on Twitter. "Wo Hamara kaptaan hai or rahe ga. Kuch or #sochnabhimanah hai. Please support this team. Yahi team hame jitaye gi bhi. Kahani abhi Khatam nahi howi. #Respect."
Babar Azam hamari or Pakistan ki Shan, jaan or pehchan hai. Wo Hamara kaptaan hai or rahe ga. Kuch or #sochnabhimanah hai.
Please support this team. Yahi team hame jitaye gi bhi. Kahani abhi Khatam nahi howi. #Respect https://t.co/WyjW98pJuA
Babar has now lost six out of the 16 matches he has led Pakistan in Test cricket, with five of those defeats coming this year. Following the 3-0 loss to England, Pakistan have almost squandered their chance of making it to the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final.
The Asian giants lost the third Test in Karachi by eight wickets with almost two days remaining. They managed to set up a target of 167 runs, which was easily chased down by Ben Stokes and Co.
"Captaincy is a matter of honor for me" - Babar Azam on his future as Test skipper
Babar clarified that he has no intentions of giving up the captaincy despite recent failures with the Test side. Addressing reporters at the end of the match, he said:
“Captaincy is a matter of honor for me. I will do whatever best I can for my country and for myself. I enjoy it more when under pressure and it doesn’t affect my batting.”
EXCLSUIVE: Babar Azam's captaincy future is absolutely safe. The management and the coaching staff all trust him, they believe he is the best option and he is set to remain Pakistan's captain heading into the new year too. There has been no talk to change him as captain. #PAKvENG
Pakistan will next be seen in action when they host New Zealand in a two-match Test series, starting on Monday, December 26, in Karachi.
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