Image Credit- AFP
It took right until the end of the press conference, but Pakistan’s reinstated captain Babar Azam addressed the elephant in the room before he left.
“I want to make clear that Shaheen [Afridi] and my bond is not recent, it goes back a long way,” Babar said on the eve of the T20I series opener against New Zealand in Rawalpindi. “We support each other in every situation. Our aim is to put Pakistan first, and how to put Pakistan’s name up in lights. We don’t think of individual glory, and thankfully, those elements are not present in my team.”
Although the transfer of captaincy was handled in a disorganised fashion, it seems like the bond between the two greatest cricketers in Pakistan is holding steady for the time being. According to reports following Afridi’s dismissal as captain, the fast bowler’s complaints were mainly directed at the PCB rather than Babar, whom Afridi claimed he supported in spite of the direction things had gone. Afridi was one of the first people to openly support Babar when there were suspicions a year ago that he was under threat as captain.
There were the individual affirmations as Babar grew into the event, almost naturally adopting a leadership role as he spoke of “my team”. This was especially notable when asked about Usman Khan, who has taken a huge leap of faith in switching allegiances back to Pakistan from the UAE, burning his bridges with the Emirates Cricket Board, who handed him a five-year ban.
“Usman needs to keep doing the things that got him here,” Babar said. “We put expectations on every player. I expect certain things from myself as well as my players. It pleases me when a young player gets an opportunity and the senior players back him. We try and take young players under our wings because when you come to international cricket, you initially struggle and need support and confidence. And then those players go on to serve Pakistan.”