Former Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar has opposed Azhar Ali’s removal from Test captaincy saying the Lahore-born cricketer would give his 100 per cent in the upcoming matches.

Pakistan lost the first Test against England in Manchester, despite being in a winning position, during the tour.

Akhtar said Azhar Ali should not be removed from the role after one bad game. “I agree that Azhar Ali made a mistake in the second innings of the first Test against England, while fielding, for which he was criticised but to remove him from captaincy, based on that match, would be unfair.

I’m sure he will give his 100 per cent in the upcoming matches,” he said on his YouTube channel as quoted by cricketpakistan.com.pk.

“It is disappointing to see that it’s always the players who suffer in such a scenario while the management stays the same,” he said.

Babar Azam, who leads Pakistan in Twenty20s and ODIs, was the top contender to replace current Test skipper Azhar Ali ahead of Pakistan’s tour to New Zealand.

“Babar is evolving as a captain. If Babar believes that he can lead the side in all three formats without jeopardising his batting form, then he should be made the captain,” he said.