In what came as an interesting fact, Babar Azam was not named as the captain of the Colombo Strikers for the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2023 edition. Instead, Niroshan Dickwella was named the captain of the side and coach Simon Helmot has revealed one of the reasons behind Dickwella leading the Strikers this season instead of Babar.


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The Pakistan cricketer and skipper is hailed one of the best modern-day talents in the game of cricket at the moment. Recently, he once again showed his class with a sensational century in LPL 2023, which was also his 10th T20 cricket ton. Interestingly, Babar is the only player to score a century in the current LPL season.


Coach Helmot revealed that Babar wanted Dickwilla as the skipper and the Sri Lankan welcomed the responsibility with pride. (Fact Check: Did MS Dhoni Use Bat Worth Rs 83 Lakh In 2011 World Cup Final?)


“Babar wanted Dickwella as the captain, and it was a very, very simple process for us after that. He’s so collaborative. He [Babar] looks after people, whether it is emotionally, mentally or technically. He is a great asset to have as a support mechanism on the side,” Helmot told Wisden in an interview.


"I’m enjoying my responsibility, especially in the middle with Babar. He’s helping me throughout the innings and we always make decisions together. We both think in the same way. At the end of the day, I get ideas from everyone and then I try and make the right decision, according to what I feel. Just keep it simple," Dickwella said.



Babar had to select between playing in the Lanka Premier League or the Global T20 League, and in the end he chose the LPL 2023 because the World Cup will be held in an Asian setting. His father was instrumental in persuading him, pointing out the similarities between Sri Lankan pitches and those anticipated for the 2023 World Cup in India.