Batting legend Younus Khan has opted for a left-field pick to be Pakistan’s new white-ball leader

Pakistan’s 2009 T20 World Cup-winning captain Younus Khan has named explosive white-ball batter Fakhar Zaman as a surprise candidate to replace Babar Azam as skipper for the upcoming limited-overs tour to Australia.

Babar stepped down from the role of ODI and T20I captain this week, just six months after being reinstated to the job he had initially vacated after Pakistan failed to reach the semi-finals of the ICC 50-over World Cup in India last year.

Scrutiny of Babar’s leadership intensified when Pakistan performed poorly at the recent T20 World Cup in the USA and Caribbean, where they suffered the ignominy of losses to the unheralded American outfit and against arch-rivals India.

He cited a wish to reduce his workload and focus on his batting for his decision to vacate the captaincy, leaving Pakistan’s white-ball coach Gary Kirsten less than a month to install a new skipper before the team’s ODI and T20I campaign in Australia starting November 4.

Younus Khan, currently in Adelaide to promote the upcoming ODI against Australia at Adelaide Oval on November 8 as well as take part in a number of events with the local Pakistan community, claimed he was not surprised by Babar’s decision.

And while acknowledging that experienced keeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan is a front-runner for the role – along with previous T20I captain Shaheen Shah Afridi – Younus suggested Fakhar could be a left-field choice.

“I think there are some senior players like Mohammad Rizwan, but the one guy nobody mentions is Fakhar Zaman,” Younus said of the 34-year-old who made his Test debut against Australia at Abu Dhabi in 2018 and also hails from Younus’s home town of Mardan.

“He’s a fantastic cricketer and he performs every single year.

“The problem is sometimes we think that the top player or maybe the star player can become a captain, but it is not like that.

“Leaders are born, it’s not like putting an extra pressure or extra burden on them.

“So I think these candidates will be good for Pakistan as a captain.

“Babar Azam quit, so I think that will be good for him and a benefit for Pakistan cricket team.”

Fakhar has played just three Tests – the most recent against South Africa at Cape Town in 2019 – but has produced some remarkable white-ball innings during his 82 ODI and 92 T20I appearances.

He thrashed an unbeaten 126 from just 81 balls to secure Pakistan a win over New Zealand in a crucial rain-affected 2023 World Cup ODI at Bengaluru, keeping alive his team’s (ultimately dashed) hopes of a semi-final berth.

And he smoked 114 against India to lead Pakistan to victory in the final of the 2017 Champions Trophy, the most recent time that tournament was contested. 

Regardless of who takes the leadership for the three ODIs and three T20Is in Australia, Younus believes Babar made the correct call by stepping down.

“I was the first guy last month to suggest to him that if he wanted to play and spend his career the way he had performed in the past, I think it’s better for him to play as a player and to perform for Pakistan team,” Younus said today.

“Especially if you’re losing against India, you’re gone.

“But that is how a leader is born and that is the demand of international cricket.

“You have to combat these kind of pressures, so I hope the next captain will do a fantastic job.

“When I was captain, for me it was team first, my players first, my country first so I think that thinking and that mindset was my success.

“If you play for team, and you play for country and especially if you play for each other that is the main thing and if you do that you will be successful.”

In addition to his 118 Tests, 265 ODIs and 25 T20Is – which included the 2009 T20 World Cup triumph in England – Younus played four Sheffield Shield and five One Day Cup matches for South Australia in 2008-09.

Fifteen years after his final outing for the then-Redbacks, Younus was today presented with a Baggy Red Cap (embroidered with his individual player number) by former SA teammate Mark Cosgrove.

The 46-year-old’s most recent visit to Adelaide Oval was during the 2015 ODI World Cup, when Pakistan famously tackled India in a match reputedly viewed by a global audience nearing one billion and then lost to Australia in a quarter-final best remembered for paceman Wahab Riaz’s bouncer duel with Shane Watson.

In addition to events with Adelaide’s Pakistan community tomorrow, Younus will appear alongside current Australia stars Glenn Maxwell and Jake Fraser-McGurk as well as former swing bowler Damien Fleming at a Fan Festival in Melbourne’s Federation Square on Saturday afternoon.

From his experiences in the Sheffield Shield competition, Younus fondly recalls the presence of numerous Pakistan fans in Victoria and believes they will again get behind next month’s ODIs and T20s against Australia.

“I think they will turn out and they will follow, not only Australian cricket but they will also follow and support the Pakistan team,” he said.

“I hope these youngsters and this Pakistan cricket team will get together and win some matches for Pakistan.

“Every single game is important for Pakistan cricket.

“But Australia are in good shape, they have the experience.

“The way Travis Head performs, the way Mitchell Marsh has led the team (in England last month), they have a good chance in the upcoming Champions Trophy (to be held in Pakistan early next year).”