Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar believes that all-rounder Shadab Khan will be a perfect fit to replace Babar Azam as captain of the national side in the future.
Currently, Babar leads Pakistan in all three formats of the game since 2020. Under his captaincy, Pakistan reached the finals of the T20 World Cup in 2022. However, his captaincy in Tests was criticised after Pakistan suffered a 3-0 whitewash against England.
Recently, Rawalpindi Express claimed that Babar is not well-versed in English and that's why he is not a brand in Pakistan.
The veteran pacer has backed Shadab Khan as the future captain of the side. The bowling all-rounder has made substantial improvements in his game in the last few years.
"Shadab is a very smart kid when it comes to cricket skills. He wants to improve, which is a very good thing. He is ready to accept his mistakes and rectify them. In past two years, he has worked really hard on his bowling and his fitness has improved as well. He wants to look good and speaks well. In times to come, he is not a bad option for captaincy for Pakistan in white-ball cricket," Cricket Pakistan quoted Akhtar as saying.
Shadab is leading the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Islamabad United in the ongoing season. He was also the vice-captain of the Pakistan T20I side that played in the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.
Akhtar feels Shadab's side has the potential to win the PSL's eighth season.
"Shadab is a great captain and future of Pakistan cricket. I think Shadab is an aggressive captain with a balanced team, great batting line-up and a great attitude. Shadab and Azhar Mahmood (as coach) are looking great and they can win the PSL 8 trophy," Akhtar added.