Rashid Latif offers advice to Babar Azam ahead of T20 World Cup 2024

Lahore: Pakistan’s former captain Rashid Latif offered advice to Babar Azam, the white-ball captain, ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024.

Rashif Latif, a former wicketkeeper, suggested that Babar Azam should entrust the wicketkeeping duties to Mohammad Rizwan.

The comment came after Pakistan lost T20I series against England.

The former captain said, “One of Pakistan's major issues is Azam Khan's wicketkeeping. The team has two other wicketkeepers, Usman Khan and Mohammad Rizwan. Babar Azam should choose Mohammad Rizwan for the wicketkeeping role since he is the most experienced,”.

Latif highlighted that Mohammad Rizwan had been the regular wicketkeeper for the past four years before being abruptly replaced.

"Pakistan's biggest challenge is finding the right combination. Players must be ready to adapt to different roles in T20 cricket based on the match situation," he added.

He emphasized the importance of a wicketkeeper’s advice for the captain.

“Moin Khan and I have both kept wickets in numerous matches, monitoring the game from behind the stumps. If the wicketkeeper starts dropping catches, it undermines his ability to advise the captain,” Latif said.

Latif also criticized the management for changing the opening pair and other roles, noting the disruption caused by splitting the successful partnership of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. He pointed out that the spinners were changed and now Rizwan is no longer the wicketkeeper.

It may be mentioned here that Azam Khan did not perform well against England, both as a wicketkeeper and a batsman, leading to criticism from former cricketers due to dropped catches and a lack of significant runs.