'Babar Azam is inexperienced': Pakistan told to shield captain from English media and send Shan Masood for interactions during England tour

'Babar Azam is inexperienced': Pakistan told to shield captain from English media and send Shan Masood for interactions during England tour originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif wants the PCB to limit Babar Azam's English media interactions.

Latif believes Shan Masood is better suited for media duties due to his England experience.

Babar will captain Pakistan in a three-Test series against England from August 19.

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Rashid Latif urges PCB to shield Babar from English media during England Tests

Former Pakistan wicket-keeper batter Rashid Latif has recommended the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to protect Babar Azam from the English press as Pakistan prepares for a three-match Test series in England.

Babar has just been appointed as the new Pakistan Test captain and will lead the team in a tough assignment abroad, with the first match to be played against England at Headingley in Leeds, starting on August 19.

While commenting on Geo News' Score, Latif termed the England assignment tough, adding that the visiting team may come under additional pressure from the local press.

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"An England tour is a difficult assignment, and the English media often tries to unnecessarily involve visiting teams in news stories," Latif added.

"Babar Azam is an experienced player, so it would be better for the PCB management to keep him away from the English media and send former captain Shan Masood to speak to them more often."

Rashid also proposed that Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Abbas would be suitable candidates to represent Pakistan in media engagements during the tour.

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Why Rashid Latif backs Shan Masood for Pakistan's media duties in England

Latif feels that Pakistan can lessen the burden on Babar Azam if Shan Masood is assigned a larger part in the media activities during the tour.

The reason cited by Latif for his suggestion was the experience that Masood already had of playing in England and handling the English media.

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"Shan has played in England and has better experience of dealing with the English media," he stated.

The statement came at a time when Babar Azam is under immense media spotlight after being named the Test captain again.

Pakistan's two-test series against the West Indies ended in a draw and Babar made a crucial contribution as he led Pakistan to their first away Test win in over three years.

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Babar, Pakistan face demanding England Test series

Pakistan face England after a 1-1 draw in the West Indies Tests. Babar was not out for 58 runs in the first Test loss but got 88 runs in the first innings of the second Test and was not out for 24 in the successful chase.

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The eight-wicket win in the second Test was particularly important for Pakistan because it helped end their eight-game losing run abroad and Babar get his first overseas Test win as a captain.

The English series is bound to be a much harder challenge for Pakistan. The first Test of Pakistan against England will begin from August 19 to 23 at Headingley, followed by the second Test from August 27 to 31 at Lord's and third from September 9 to 13 at Edgbaston.

The Test series is set to be Pakistan's first in England since 2020 and comes under the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle.

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The Cricket News Opinion: Pakistan could share the media responsibility

Even if Latif's idea sounds bizarre, there is some sense in this. Babar is not necessarily required to be the most prominent figure in the media of the team just because he is the captain.

An experienced player like Shan Masood can shoulder some media responsibility, which would be beneficial, taking into account his experience of playing in England and dealing with the English media, allowing Babar to focus on his captaincy and batting.

Nevertheless, it may prove impossible to protect Babar from the English media as well as unnecessary to do so, since being captain of the team, Babar is destined to answer questions regardless of whether his team plays well or not.

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