“When a player is under pressure, then his own performance gets affected” – Inzamam-ul-Haq defends Pakistan skipper Babar Azam

Former cricketer Inzamam-ul-Haq has come out in support of Pakistan captain Babar Azam amid growing talk of him getting dropped as skipper from one of the three formats.

The veteran pointed out that if Babar was under pressure, he wouldn’t have been scoring runs across formats consistently. He reckons that the 28-year-old will only learn and get better as captain with time. Speaking to Sports Paktv, Inzamam-ul-Haq said:

“When a player is under pressure, then his own performance gets affected. I think Babar's performance across three formats has been good. There is no pressure on him as a skipper."

"You learn captaincy by doing it again and again," the former Pakistan skipper added. "Whenever we lose a series, our captains get under pressure. I don’t think that’s the issue here.”

The statement came even as Babar Azam and Co. failed to win a single Test against England and New Zealand. Pakistan also recently lost the ODI series 1-2 against the Blackcaps at home.

Babar amassed 149 runs in three ODIs against the Kiwis, including two half-centuries. The right-handed batter scored 574 runs in his last five Tests, including two hundreds and three half-centuries.

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“When it comes to performance, Babar Azam leads from the front” – Inzamam-ul-Haq

Inzamam-ul-Haq pointed out that Babar emerged as Pakistan's highest run-getter in the three-match Test series against England, where the hosts lost 0-3. He added that Babar should be given enough time to get to his full potential as a leader ahead of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 in India.

“When it comes to performance, Babar Azam leads from the front," Inzamam said. "He should get a chance [to continue as skipper]. If you want players to become leaders and not just captains, you need to give them time.”

Babar Azam will next be seen leading Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023. Meanwhile, Pakistan will next play five T20Is and as many ODIs against New Zealand at home in April and May.