Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik commented on Babar Azam's captaincy after India's seven-wicket win in the 12th match of the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday.

After Pakistan's humiliating seven-wicket defeat against India in the 2023 World Cup, veteran Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik made a bold statement criticizing Babar Azam's leadership, which caused a stir in the cricket world.

Shoaib Malik, who is known for his keen knowledge of cricket, was clear in his assessment that Babar Azam should give up his leadership responsibilities and continue playing as a batsman.

This was Pakistan's second defeat against India in two months. The Men in Green lost to Rohit Sharma's men at the 2023 Asia Cup in September. After the seven-wicket defeat in the World Cup, Babar Azam's future as captain has become a major topic of discussion.

While some feel that the 29-year-old should be given more time, others feel that the right-handed batsman has completed his career as captain of the national team. Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik said after the recent defeat that Babar should give up captaincy as Malik, himself a former Pakistan captain, remarked that Babar could contribute more as a batsman alone. Furthermore, he believes it can do wonders for the team.

“Look, I’m going to give you my honest opinion on this. I have said in previous interviews that Babar should give up captaincy. That's just my opinion, but there's a lot of homework behind it. “Babar can do wonders as a player for himself as well as for the team,” said the former Pakistan captain.

That is my personal opinion and it is not because we lost the game today [against India] or lost by a big margin, no, [my opinion] is not based on that,” Malik continued while speaking to media.

Furthermore, Shoaib Malik pointed out that Babar Azam is someone who doesn't think outside the box under pressure despite having led the team for a long time. However, Malik was keen to say that he doesn't have a personal agenda, but rather it's about his long-term observations about Azam. Furthermore, the former captain stressed that Azam's batting skills should not be mixed with his leadership aspects.

“I think Babar as a leader doesn’t think outside the box. One should not confuse his leadership skills with his batting skills as both are different. “He's been captain for a long time, but hasn't been able to develop further,” summed up the 41-year-old.