ENG vs PAK: Azhar Ali lacks experience as captain, says Zaheer Abbas

Former skipper Zaheer Abbas feels Azhar Ali's lack of experience as captain could be a cause for concern for Pakistan during three-match Test series against England

Former skipper Zaheer Abbas feels Azhar Ali lacks experience as captain and that could be a cause for concern for Pakistan when they lock horns against England in the three-match Test series starting Wednesday.

Azhar was named as Pakistan's Test captain in October 2019 after Sarfaraz Ahmed was sacked from the role across formats. Babar Azam was named as skipper in white-ball cricket.

The first Test of the series will be played at the Old Trafford and Abbas highlighted the difference in experience between the two set of captains - Azhar Ali and Joe Root.

In the absence of Root, England lost the first Test against West Indies last month but when he joined the team for the final two Tests in Manchester, England recorded comprehensive wins to clinch the Wisden Trophy.

"I think the main difference in the England-West Indies series was Root's captaincy. The way he handled the team after missing the first Test was fantastic," Abbas was quoted as saying by Khaleej Times.

"And the problem with the Pakistan team is that our captain - Azhar Ali - lacks experience, especially in English conditions."

Abbas also had a word of advice for Babar Azam. For all his talent, Babar hasn't gone past the three-figure mark in the longest format as often he has done in ODIs.

He has scored just five centuries in 26 Tests in comparison to 11 tons in 74 ODIs. Moreover, he hasn't hit a single score in excess of 150 in Test cricket, with his highest being 143.

"Definitely the team will depend on him (Babar Azam), but one man is not enough to get the victory. Other players have to support him and the whole team has to play well," Abbas said.

"We are hoping that he will become one of the top batsmen in Pakistan history. He has the talent to do that.

"If he stays at the wicket for a long time, he will score more consistently. If a batsman doesn't throw his wicket away, he will always achieve the goal," he added.

--IANS

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