Pakistan batting coach Younis Khan has urged Babar Azam to "take the initiative" and assert himself while leading the national T20I and ODI sides.
Babar was appointed Pakistan's T20I skipper following the abrupt sacking of sararaz ahmad in the aftermath of the home series whitewash at the hands of sri lanka in October 2019.
Babar's promotion to the leadership position started off with a series loss in australia before salvaging pride with a couple of wins over bangladesh in Lahore, though they slipped to number 4 position following a 27-month reign at the top.
Pakistan currently trail England 0-1 in the ongoing series as they failed to defend an imposing total of 195 on Sunday at Old Trafford.
During England' successful chase, Babar often appeared inadequate at smartly executing an authoritative role on the field with other senior players flooding him with suggestions or rushing in to engage in discussions with the bowler.
Responding to the criticism directed at Babar in light of the five-wicket defeat, Younis acknowledged Babar's limitations in the presence of veteran campaigners but encouraged the 25-year-old to be bold in making decisions.
"Babar Azam has been our T20I and ODI captain for quite a while. Sometimes, it becomes difficult for a skipper when he gets suggestions from the support staff and senior players on the field. But the good thing is, all suggestions are for the betterment of the team," Younis told reporters in a conference call.
"Whenever I have a one-on-one discussion with him on leadership, I advise him to take the initiative himself and learn to make his own decisions.
"We often get the perception that the dressing room is intervening but when you are leading the side, you have to make your own decisions and when your intentions are good, even the poor decisions reap rewards."
Younis also drew from his own captaincy experience to drive home this point. "As a captain, I made many mistakes but the intention was always positive. My suggestion for him is to take decisions fearlessly, even with wrong steps, you learn," he added.
Awesome One