Younis Khan wants Pakistan to consider Fakhar Zaman for captaincy

There was a major development earlier this week in Pakistan cricket as Babar Azam confirmed that he was stepping aside from captaincy. Babar had resigned from white-ball captaincy in the aftermath of the 2023 ODI World Cup itself, but he was reinstated months before the T20 World Cup after replacing Shaheen Shah Afridi. 

However, the 29-year-old’s comeback turned out to be a forgettable one as Pakistan failed to make the Super 8s of the T20WC, further losing to the United States of America. 

As things stand, reports suggest that either Mohammad Rizwan or Shadab Khan could end up succeeding Babar. However, former Pakistan skipper Younis Khan has thrown a new name into the hat: Fakhar Zaman.

"I think there are some senior players like Mohammad Rizwan, but the one guy nobody mentions is Fakhar Zaman," Younis said.

"He's a fantastic cricketer and he performs every single year.”

READ: Rizwan, Shaheen & other white-ball captaincy candidates for Pakistan

The former Pakistan skipper criticized the existing culture of making the best player in the side the captain. He claimed that leaders are born and can’t be made.

"The problem is sometimes we think that the top player or maybe the star player can become a captain, but it is not like that,” the 46-year-old said.

"Leaders are born, it's not like putting an extra pressure or extra burden on them. So I think these candidates will be good for Pakistan as a captain.”

Younis revealed that, last month, he had an honest chat with Babar and suggested him to step down from captaincy in order to unlock his batting potential again. 

"Babar Azam quit, so I think that will be good for him and a benefit for Pakistan cricket team,” Younis said.

"I was the first guy last month to suggest to him that if he wanted to play and spend his career the way he had performed in the past, I think it's better for him to play as a player and to perform for Pakistan team. Especially if you're losing against India, you're gone.

"But that is how a leader is born and that is the demand of international cricket. You have to combat these kind of pressures, so I hope the next captain will do a fantastic job."

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