"If the management is not doing it, he should do it himself" - Salman Butt wants Babar Azam to give more chances to youngsters

Salman Butt believes that there are certain areas where Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has to improve in order to establish himself as a competent leader.

He urged the Pakistani skipper to give enough opportunities to youngsters. Butt opined that even if the management doesn't want to move in that direction, Babar must take the onus and make those changes when required.

The 38-year-old suggested that the captain should consider resting senior players once the result of the series is already decided, or when Pakistan are up against smaller teams. Butt also urged Babar to be a bit more aggressive on the field.

"Babar Azam needs to be a bit more alert," Butt said in a video on his YouTube channel. "There has to be good decision-making. He can adopt a more aggressive approach while leading the side. He should consider giving more exposure to youngsters. If the management is not doing it, he should do it himself."

Notably, Babar's captaincy has come under scrutiny following a string of poor performances by the Pakistan team. The Men in Green recently suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 ODI series loss against New Zealand at home.

Pakistan's luck sailed them through to the final of the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia last year. They ended up as runner-up after suffering a five-wicket defeat to England in the summit clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

However, they struggled to get going in the longer format. They just had a solitary Test victory to their name in 2022. It is worth mentioning that Pakistan failed to win a single Test match at home last year.

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"This isn't something that should be linked to his leadership" - Salman Butt on Babar Azam's batting form

While Babar Azam has received a lot of flak for his captaincy, he has done tremendously well with the bat across formats.

Salman Butt congratulated the star batter on winning big at the ICC Awards. For his superlative performances in 2022, Babar was named ICC Cricketer of the Year and ICC Men's ODI Player of the Year.

Butt, though, emphasized that there isn't any correlation between Babar's batting heroics and his leadership. He also expressed displeasure at certain fans wanting the 28-year-old to step down from the leadership position, suggesting that it wasn't the right approach to handle the situation.

"Babar Azam has won these ICC awards with great consistency," he said. "He was the No.1 batter in T20Is sometime back, and now he is at the top in ODIs. He was also named the ICC Cricketer of the Year.

"These are outstanding achievements. However, this isn't something that should be linked to his leadership. The way people have questioned his captaincy of late, it's not an ideal approach."

Babar won the ICC Men's ODI Player of the Year award for the second straight year. The right-handed batter was in top form with the bat last year, amassing 2598 runs in 44 matches across formats.

He will next seen in action during the upcoming season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), starting next month.