'Captaincy is a hard thing': Inzamam-ul-Haq speaks up on Babar Azam as pressure builds around Pakistan skipper

Pakistan's horrendous run at home in Test cricket has put Babar Azam's captaincy under the scanner.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam is under fire due to his team's recent struggles in Test series at home but former skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq has thrown his weight behind the 28-year-old. They have fallen to four consecutive defeats in Test matches at home for the first time in history and were also clean swept by an away team for the first time at home.

Pakistan fell to four consecutive Tests losses at home last year(Getty Images)

While the docile pitches that have been rolled in the Test series they played against Australia and England last year have come under fire, Babar's captaincy has also faced scrutiny. A recent example of it was when he made an aggressive declaration in the final session of the last day of the first Test against New Zealand. Pakistan only had a lead of 138 runs and the move almost backfired as New Zealand raced to 61/1 in just 7.3 overs, before bad light put an end to the match.

Inzamam pointed out that Babar remains in good form with the bat and that he is learning the trade as a captain. “There is no captaincy pressure on him, he is answering the critics with his bat,” said Inzamam is quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan. “Captaincy is a hard thing, and you learn it with time. Babar is currently going through that phase.”

“He needs our support at this time. The more confidence the captain gets, the better decisions he takes. I don’t think he should be replaced,” he said.

The former chief selector also supported his former teammates and current coaches of the national team. Head coach Saqlain Mushtaq has been under pressure himself, as has been his staff which includes former batter and batting coach Mohammad Yousuf. “There are ups and downs in the performance of the team, but Saqlain Mushtaq and Muhammad Yousuf have done a good job,” said Inzamam.