Mickey Arthur backs Babar Azam to stay Pakistan captain

Pakistan’s team director Mickey Arthur has backed captain Babar Azam, who is under fire over ‘below-par captaincy’, to stay in the role following the national team’s group-stage exit from ICC World Cup 2023. It was the second successive World Cup where they missed out on a semi-final spot by finishing in fifth place in the 10-nation table. “Babar Azam is very, very close to me,” said Arthur while addressing a post-match conference.