"This is the first time that he has gone through such a phase" - Ramiz Raja on Babar Azam's captaincy

Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ramiz Raja believes that skipper Babar Azam should not be removed from the leadership position immediately.

Ramiz stated that Babar still needs to improve in certain areas. He, however, opined that sacking the talismanic batter would not be good for the balance of the Pakistani team. He suggested that the player will learn as he plays more matches and will get better with time.

The 60-year-old also pointed out that while Pakistan were whitewashed by England in the three-match Test series at home, the Babar Azam-led side did a commendable job in the red-ball matches against Australia and Sri Lanka.

Speaking on his YouTube channel about Babar Azam's captaincy, Ramiz Raja explained:

"There is scope for improvement in Babar Azam's captaincy. He is just 28 years old and is going to learn with time. But if you remove him, you need to understand that it will affect the balance of the team.

"This is the first time that he has gone through such a phase in his captaincy tenure. Against Australia, we salvaged a great draw and lost one match in the last 10-15 minutes. We did well against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in Tests. He doesn't have a bad track record."

Ramiz emphasized the importance of empowering Babar, who is still new to leadership duties. He noted how Imran Khan was able to establish himself as a great leader as he got enough support from the management.

The former PCB chief stated that was never given a free hand during his captaincy reins, which is why he was not able to achieve desirable results. Ramiz Raja added:

"It is very important to empower the captain. Babar Azam deserves it. I come from a time when the captain became a larger-than-life character after being empowered. When I was the captain, I did not have the power to govern. We were always struggling because I became a half-skipper.

"So when Babar is leading the team, we need to let him play his best XI. You can ask questions when he slips. Questions were raised by everyone after the England series. I had a four-hour session with him just five days before the New Zealand tour."

Notably, Pakistan are currently competing against New Zealand in a two-match Test series. The opening encounter kicked off at the National Stadium in Karachi on Monday, December 26. The hosts are at 317/5 at stumps on Day 1 with Babar unbeaten on 161.

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"Pakistan are ill-prepared for Test cricket" - Ramiz Raja

Ramiz Raja further went on to say that the Pakistani side will have to improve significantly to be able to compete against top teams like England in Test cricket.

He highlighted how they were completely exposed during the recently concluded series against Ben Stokes and Co. Ramiz Raja also expressed his disappointment over the quality of the pitches used for the Test matches.

The cricketer-turned-commentator claimed that fast bowlers need to work on their fitness if they have to play red-ball cricket. He noted that several prominent pacers of the team were unavailable for selection in their recent outings due to their respective injuries.

"Pakistan are ill-prepared for Test cricket, Ramiz elaborated. "We had a proper season after a long time and we have been completely exposed, be it the pitches or the quality of cricket. We couldn't keep up with England's speed.

"I had made our white-ball fast bowlers understand that they need to attain the fitness that is required in Test cricket. We have the talent, but only a handful of matchwinners and three of those were injured."

Meanwhile, Ramiz Raja was removed as the chairman of the Pakistani board following the team's series loss to England. Najam Sethi has replaced him as the new chairman of the PCB.