As T20I World Cup nears, Mickey Arthur advises Pakistan to stick with old formula

• Mickey Arthur says Pakistan is too much dependent on the performance of skipper Babar Azam.
• The former coach is hopeful that the newbie captain would have the character to take the media bashing after the series loss against Australia.

Pakistan's former coach Mickey Arthur believes that the side should stop making changes and stick with their old formula, which led them to become the number one ranked T20I side.

“I'm not sure that what got us to number one was worth changing,” said Arthur, while talking to a private channel, after Pakistan suffered a 2-0 series loss against Australia.

The former Pakistan coach was of the view that the leadership of Sarfaraz Ahmed, with the experience provided by Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik and a pace battery featuring Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan Ali worked for Pakistan, taking them to 11 straight series wins.

“Learning is not for me now, we're a year out from a T20 World Cup and Pakistan remains the number one side. Put the learning away and go back to what's worked for you, because what worked got you to number one," he said.

About Pakistan's loss against Australia, Arthur said the team is too much dependent on the performance of skipper Babar Azam. “Extremely disappointing from Pakistan. It showed the amount of responsibility on Babar's shoulders, he didn't perform and we folded like a pack of cards out there,” he said.

The former coach further said he is concerned that captaincy pressures don't affect Babar’s batting and is hopeful that the newbie captain would have the character to take on the media bashing.

"At the moment, captaincy isn't affecting Babar's batting. Now is the tough time for him because he's got to face the media. The media in Pakistan is tough work, they grind you down. It's going to wear him down more and more so I hope he has the sense of character to let it go like water off a duck's back," he added.