Babar should lead aggressively: Rameez Raja    

• “Pakistan cricket has the aggression and the Kohli model suits our game but we lack consistency in the 50 overs and Tests due to which we have a low confidence level,” he said on his YouTube Channel.
• “At sometimes you will have to take strong decisions by sacrificing your best friends for the sake of the team and good combinations,” he said.

ISLAMABAD: Former Skipper Rameez Raja believes Pakistani captain Babar Azam should lead the team aggressively, saying the Lahore-born cricketer would have to take strong decisions in the game.

While citing the examples of captaincy models of Indian Virat Kohli and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, Raja said Kohli was an aggressive, emotional and passionate captain who has a strong body language, whereas Williamson remains cool on the field, who follows the process and has a good selection.

“Pakistan cricket has the aggression and the Kohli model suits our game but we lack consistency in the 50 overs and Tests due to which we have a low confidence level,” he said on his YouTube Channel.

Rameez, who represented Pakistan during the 1980s and the 1990s, said Babar needs to understand to pay the price of captaincy by taking strong decisions.

“At sometimes you will have to take strong decisions by sacrificing your best friends for the sake of the team and good combinations,” he said.

Rameez, who scored 2,833 runs in 57 Tests, said Babar had expressed the desire to idolize the leadership qualities of the 1992 World Cup winning captain and current Prime Minister, Imran Khan. “Babar should know that Imran took decisions on merit and has always tweaked his team according to the opposition,” he said.

Rameez, who 5,841 runs in 198 ODIs, was of the view that the ODI and limited-overs skipper needed to have the freedom tactically and in the selection. “Babar just needs to take baby steps and he will learn.

He should not fear from losing. If you see the 1992 World Cup winning Playing XI, it just had batting legend Javed Miandad and Imran who were over 30.

The rest were youngsters who had achieved the milestone,” he said and added that Babar needs to inject young blood in the limited-overs game or should have that type of thinking.