Matthew Hayden reacts to Babar Azam’s removal as skipper

Matthew Hayden, Former Pakistan cricket team’s mentor, showed his concerns over Babar Azam’s removal as skipper.

Babar Azam stepped down as the captain of all formats of the national side on Nov 16.

Matthew Hayden speaking to ESPNCricinfo, pointed out prevalent “structural” issues with Pakistan cricket and stressed that the problems fringe the country’s sports culture and framework at large and aren’t limited to individual leadership.

The former Australian opener also criticised Babar Azam’s resignation as skipper and said that those “responsible” might have overlooked the right-handed batter’s contributions as a player and skipper.

“Whoever was doing the numbers clearly wasn’t looking at them when it came to Babar’s performances as non-captain and captain. He actually had far better numbers as a captain. We’re talking an average of 50 plus more. So he was a natural leader, a good choice. I think they have potentially shot the gun a little bit early in terms of leadership capabilities.”

Hayden added: “He [Babar] is still a young player, a dominant player in world cricket. So I am a little disappointed and a little shocked about the reaction.”

Hayden also highlighted the real reasons behind Pakistan’s below-par performance in the World Cup 2023.

“Naseem Shah was not there and Shaheen Afridi was not at his best […] Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz failed miserably [whereas] Fakhar Zaman never arrived, but when he did, it was too late,” Hayden added.