Babar Azam vs Shaheen Afridi- Who Will Be A Better Captain For Pakistan?

Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi [X]Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi [X]

Pakistan cricket is facing one of its biggest rough waves in recent times. Bangladesh recently defeated them on their home turf by a 2-0 margin in a Test series. Since the conclusion of the series, rumours have been rife that there might be a change in the captaincy role of the team ahead of their next assignment. 

Notably, Pakistan has not won a single Test match under their current red-ball skipper, Shan Masood. This lack of positive results might prompt the management to change the personnel at the helm. 

When it comes to the captaincy of the Pakistani team, Babar Azam is a name that resonates with the average cricket fan. However, the talented batter is currently under immense pressure due to a lack of runs from his bat. There are even reports suggesting that he might lose his job as the limited-overs skipper. 

Shaheen Afridi is another name in consideration for the post. A few months back, he was even handed over the role in T20Is. But just ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024, he was sacked, and Babar was reinstated in the role. 

Currently, Pakistan might be thinking of an all-format captain. In this article, we will try to reach an analytical conclusion as to who would be better suited for the role between Babar and Shaheen. 

Babar vs Shaheen - Captaincy Record in PSL

We will consider the records in PSL as that is one tournament in which both players have led their respective teams. 

Shaheen Afridi
Babar Azam
Matches
3433
Matches Won1812
Matches Lost1521
Win %52.9436.36

The numbers clearly indicate that Shaheen Afridi has much better numbers. With two titles under his belt as the leader of the Lahore Qalandars, there should be little doubt about his leadership in this tournament.

Babar vs Shaheen - Captaincy Record for Pakistan

In this case we will consider only the T20Is as Shaheen led Pakistan only in that format. 

Stats
Shaheen Afridi
Babar Azam
Matches585
Matches Won148
Matches lost430
Win %2056.47

Well, in this case, Babar Azam has the best winning percentage. But Shaheen was allowed too little time in the role to prove himself.

Now, if we analyse the leadership qualities of the two players, we might get a better idea. 

Babar Azam vs Shaheen Afridi - Qualitative analysis

Pros of Babar Azam as the Captain

  • Babar has played the role in all formats for the team before. Therefore, he will be comfortable with the responsibility. 
  • He has a win percentage of near or over 50 in all the formats. This means that even though Pakistan might not have won trophies under Babar, they had more positive results in their favour, especially speaking of the red-ball format.
  • Being a batter, Babar Azam is expected to suffer from less injuries. This indicates that his availability will seldom be doubtful, so Pakistan will get a captain who can work with the players for most of the year. 

Cons of Babar Azam as the Captain

  • Even though Pakistan made it to the knockouts of a couple of tournaments under him, they have not been able to win trophies with Babar as captain. 
  • Currently, Babar Azam is going through a lean phase with this bat. Added responsibility might affect his mentality even more, and in the process, Pakistan might lose its best batter. 

Pros of Shaheen Afridi as the captain

  • Shaheen Afridi has proven in the PSL that he is a leader who can win a trophy. His experience of winning knockouts and finals might come in handy for Pakistan. 
  • In the PSL, we have seen that Shaheen often promotes himself up the order or bowls the crucial overs for his team. This shows he likes taking responsibility and leading the team from the front. 

Cons of Shaheen Afridi as the captain

  • Like most other players in his trade, Shaheen Afridi is an injury-prone pace bowler. Captaining the team in all three formats might tinker with his workload management, pushing him towards even more injuries. 
  • Even though he has proven himself as a leader in the PSL, captaining a side in the international arena is a different ball game. Handing him the responsibility in all three formats at once might unnerve him and affect his performance as a bowler. 

Conclusion

Pakistan has seen the Babar Azam era pass. While they were a decent team under him, they failed to win a major trophy. Hence, going back to him as captain in all three formats might not be the ideal choice at present. 

On the other hand, selecting a new captain might bring a new approach and way of thinking to the team. But handing Shaheen the responsibility in all three formats might be a bit risky. So, the ideal way is to hand him over the role format-wise and allow him more time to show what difference he is making.