'Babar Azam also needs to improve his English, personality': Former Pakistan cricketer's advice to now ODI captain

Babar Azam, who was recently named as Pakistan's ODI limited-overs captain, has always been compared to Indian skipper Virat Kohli.

The player who is regarded as one of the best batsmen in cricket at the moment is now faced with new challenges and former Pakistan cricketer Tanvir Ahmed believes Azam needs to work on his personality. 

Speaking in a Youtube video, the former Pakistan bowler said that Babar will need to communicate with media as captain and will need to work on improving his English.

“Try to improve your personality. By personality, I mean a person can change his dressing sense. Babar Azam also needs to improve his English, which is necessary. Whenever someone becomes a captain, he has to talk during the toss and post-match presentation. Plus, he will also give interviews on various channels when he tours different countries,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.

Tanvir added: “A leader needs to be punctual and organised as the players follow the captain. He should also maintain his fitness level, because if the captain himself isn’t fit, then he can’t advise other players on improving their fitness,” he said. 

“It remains to be seen how Babar leads the team. He needs to be mentally strong as even a slight dip in performance as captain will invite a lot criticism from media. So he will have to tolerate the criticism and not react to it. If he reacts, then things will get very difficult for him,” he added.

He also said: “Captaincy isn’t an easy job. However, I am happy for Babar as he has become captain after only five years since making his debut in 2015. If any player becomes a captain in such a short period of time, then it is an extra-ordinary achievement for him.”