Former South African captain AB de Villiers has highlighted what he believes are some of the major problems behind Pakistan cricket’s recent struggles. The 42-year-old feels the team needs greater character and fight, along with a core group of senior players willing to lead by example and guide the younger members of the squad.

De Villiers also pointed towards instability at the top of Pakistan cricket, with repeated changes in leadership and management affecting the team. He expressed hope that Babar Azam, who has recently returned to the captaincy, gets an extended run and finds consistency with both his fitness and batting.

AB de Villiers calls for greater character and fight

De Villiers said Test cricket is ultimately a test of a player’s character and felt Pakistan had been lacking that quality in recent performances. He believes four or five experienced players need to take responsibility and set the standards for the rest of the team. He also criticised the lack of application from Pakistan’s players, particularly their batters, who he felt had given away too many soft wickets.

“I always felt that Test cricket is a test of your character. And that’s maybe what Pakistan is lacking at the moment: a bit of character, a bit of fight, and an individual leadership group of four or five players who decide together, ‘You know what? Let’s be the leaders here and show the guys. Let’s be the example. I don’t often, or these days currently, see a lot of Pakistan players individually being prepared to put the extra hard yards in there,” De Villiers said on his YouTube channel.

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De Villiers highlights instability around Pakistan cricket

Alongside the players’ performances, De Villiers pointed to the uncertainty surrounding Pakistan cricket’s management and leadership. He noted the frequent chopping and changing in important positions and backed Babar to get a longer opportunity after returning as captain.

“But definitely also a bit of mismanagement from the top, lots of chopping, changing, lots of change of leadership. Babar back now, so hopefully he gets an extended run and stays fit and starts scoring runs again, like we all know he can,” De Villiers said.

His comments came after Pakistan endured a difficult Test tour of England, losing the matches at Headingley and Lord’s by an innings and 103 runs and 194 runs respectively. Following the defeats, the Pakistan Cricket Board made sweeping changes to the squad, sending seven players home and bringing in seven replacements, including five uncapped players.

The PCB also removed head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and assistant coach Umar Gul during the tour. De Villiers’ comments underline the need for Pakistan to find greater stability while developing a group of players capable of setting the standard for the team across formats.

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