Aleem Dar Explains Why Sarfaraz Ahmed Was Better Captain Than Babar Azam

Pakistan captain Babar Azam has recently found himself in the midst of heavy criticism. The criticism is not based on his personal performances but based on his captaincy. While under the leadership of Babar Azam, the men in green have reached new heights, there are also some lows. In the past 1 year, the men in green could not win any test games at home and missed out on the Asia Cup trophy as well as the T20 World Cup. Moreover, losing test matches at home also botched their chances of the WTC Finals.

In a recent discussion, Pakistan Umpire Aleem Dar was asked to pick a captain who has been the best for the team. Aleem Dar’s reply was astounding as the umpire chose Sarfaraz Ahmed over Babar Azam, Misbah Ul Haq, Shahid Afridi as well as Mohammad Hafeez. Explaining the reason behind picking up Sarfaraz Ahmed, Dar mentioned that while all the other skippers do have their distinct qualities, it is Ahmed’s wicket-keeper ability that adds to his value. He further added that as a wicket-keeper, the player is more aware of what the bowler will bowl and hence, aids in better decision-making.

Aleem Dar believes Sarfaraz Ahmed’s captaincy skills were better than Babar Azam

“I believe every one of them had different qualities. But if someone had superior game awareness and better captaincy skills then it was Sarfaraz. I think a wicketkeeper is a better decision-maker. Because he is well aware of what the bowler is bowling and that is why I think it is very important that a wicketkeeper should be the captain,” Aleem Dar said. Sarfaraz Ahmed made his comeback to the Pakistan side after 4 years during the Eng vs Pak series. While Babar Azam had an average series, Ahmed was at his absolute best.

Ever since Pakistan’s 3-0 whitewash against England, there have been several suggestions for split captaincy. Some of the former players believe that Babar Azam should continue in the limited overs as skipper, and Sarfaraz Ahmed should be back to lead in the tests. Babar Azam replaced Ahmed as the captain after the wicket-keeper batters’ form took a dip. While the chances of the wicketkeeper getting back to lead the side are low, it is certain that he will be on the side in the upcoming WTC cycle.