“Providing clarity to each and every player on the team and maintaining honest and open communication with the other members of the squad is the single most important aspect of managing a team. The climate of the team becomes more upbeat as a result, and its members become closer together as a unit. Pakistan captain Babar Azam
Before Pakistan’s fifth and final one-day international match against New Zealand in Karachi today, captain Babar Azam disclosed his next career ambition only one day after setting the record for the fastest player to reach 5000 runs in one-day internationals.
Babar, who will play his 100th One-Day International (ODI) on Sunday when Pakistan attempt to sweep New Zealand to stay atop the ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings, expressed his desire to contribute to Pakistan’s success in a future World Cup competition.
When he was speaking to PCB Digital, Babar expressed that it would be a fulfilling experience to lead the team that eventually won the World Cup.
When the One-Day International (ODI) batting champion leads his team to the forthcoming One-Day International (ODI) World Cup in India in October and November, he will have the opportunity to make his goal come true. If he is successful, he would follow in the footsteps of the legendary Imran Khan, who guided Pakistan to their sole ODI World Cup victory, which took place in England in 1992.
Babar has an outstanding track record when it comes to the World Cup competition. The 28-year-old captain has successfully guided Pakistan to the Twenty20 World Cup twice, first in 2021 in the United Arab Emirates and again in 2022 in Australia.
At Pakistan’s 13th try, and under his command, they achieved their first-ever victory over their fiercest rivals India in a World Cup competition at the 2021 Twenty20 World Cup. In Dubai, Babar’s unbroken fifty was a major contributor to Pakistan’s ten-wicket victory over India, spearheaded by Virat Kohli. The following year, Babar then guided his team to the final of the prestigious Twenty20 tournament that was held in Melbourne.
Babar was promoted to the role of captain after Pakistan’s performance in the 2019 50-over World Cup in England was abysmal while Sarfaraz Ahmed was in charge of the team’s leadership. As soon as Babar took over as captain, his statistics skyrocketed as he thrived on the increased responsibility. In One-Day Internationals, he has a batting average of over 75 as captain (after the fourth ODI against New Zealand), and he has scored seven hundreds in a total of 25 matches.
All three of his tons in Twenty20 Internationals came when he was also skippering the side. The change was striking in tests, with his batting average rising up to nearly 50 when he became captain.
“The first year was a little overwhelming as there were a lot of things to deal with simultaneously as a Pakistan captain,” Babar said of taking on the role of leadership after Pakistan had won the World Cup.
“However, I was able to figure out how to handle it. I also picked up a lot of useful information from Saifi bhai [Sarfaraz Ahmed]’s leadership of the team. I was able to observe his demeanor both on and off the field, and I frequently questioned him in order to gain useful insight.
“Providing clarity to each and every player on the team and maintaining honest and open communication with the other members of the squad is the single most important aspect of managing a team. This helps to cultivate a positive atmosphere among the team and pulls everyone closer together as a unit.
As a player who is not a captain, your primary attention is on your performance on the field and at the plate. However, when you are a captain, in addition to those duties, you are also responsible for managing the team. I find that when I am responsible for anything, I am able to perform at my best.