Pakistan former captain Shahid Afridi believes veteran Shoaib Malik would have been a better option to lead the team in T20 format amidst the upcoming World Cup in 2020.

“Babar Azam is no doubt the backbone of Pakistan batting line and a consistent performer for Pakistan, but I believe that the T20I captaincy should have been handed to Shoaib Malik instead of Babar Azam,” Afridi was quoted as saying on his YouTube channel.

Shoaib Malik is undoubtedly one of the most senior player in Pakistan’s current squad and possesses utmost experience in the shortest format.

Old-timer has captain Pakistan in 20 T20Is bagging 13 wins under his belt. Malik was last in charge of the team in Pakistan’s tour to South Africa early in 2019 where Sarfaraz was handed a ban on racial abuse. However, visitors lost the series 1-2 under Malik’s captaincy.

Most recently, Malik has captained Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2019. Under the master’s leadership, Warriors went on to record 11 straight wins before slumping the final against the Barbados Tridents. But, Malik was one of their top performers with the bat amassing 317 in 12 matches at 63.40.

Pakistan’s recent home drubbing by Sri Lanka rung alarm bells in the board as they sacked Sarfaraz Ahmed from the captaincy from T20I and Test format. The 32-year-old also lost his place in the national team for the tour of Australia.

However, Afridi appreciated the services of Sarfaraz Ahmed as Pakistan’s captain.

“I would like to congratulate Sarfaraz Ahmed. Sarfaraz, you performed very well,” said Afridi

“You took Pakistan to number one rank in T20Is and led them to win in Champions Trophy. Overall, you have a tremendous contribution to Pakistan cricket. There’s no reason to feel bad. It is not necessary to be the captain for your entire career. You can play as a player too,” he added.