Star batsman Babar Azam has come under criticism after Pakistan’s 61-run defeat to arch-rival India in the T20 World Cup match. Many former players of the country have demanded his exclusion from the team along with some other senior players.
Experienced players like former captain Babar, Shadab Khan and fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi did not live up to the expectations in the one-sided match played in Colombo on Sunday night. India’s young opening batsman Ishan Kishan (77 runs in 40 balls) thoroughly defeated Pakistani bowling. On the other hand, Pakistan’s batsmen were seen looking sideways in front of India’s fast bowlers and spinners.
Former captain Shahid Afridi said, “If it was in my hands, I would not have selected Babar, Shadab and Shaheen in the T20 team again.” He has got many opportunities to perform well for Pakistan, but yesterday he failed again.
Afridi said that now the time has come to prepare young players in this T20 format. Shaheen gave away 31 runs in two overs while Babar was dismissed for five runs by Akshar Patel.
Former captain Javed Miandad was not ready to speak in detail on the defeat, but he admitted that the Pakistan cricket team had failed to present a challenge when put under pressure.
Miandad said, “Brother, players have to show their passion only in big matches. Our players could not do this.
Another former captain Mohammad Yusuf, who always supported Babar, also said that after this crushing defeat, the T20 career of Babar and Shaheen should end.
Yusuf posted on X, “’Shaheen, Babar and Shadab’s career is at an end. Pakistan’s T20 team needs new players, not hollow victories against weak teams.
Former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar made fun of Babar’s superstar status on ABP News. He said, “You have made a superstar out of a player (Babar Azam) who cannot win you even a single match. There has been no improvement in the last 15-20 years. The sad truth of the situation is that once upon a time we used to give a tough challenge to India, but today we cannot even dream of defeating them.
Ahmed Shahzad, a vocal critic of Babar, wrote on X, “Babar once again got away cheaply. Perhaps this was his last chance to prove his ability in this format.
Pakistan’s cricket community is disappointed with this defeat and people are making fun of the team on social media and saying that perhaps the Pakistan government should have followed the appeal of boycott in support of Bangladesh. Many cricket fans posted, “It would have been better if we had continued the boycott.”
Former captain Moin Khan said that now the time has come to accept that India is currently a much better team than Pakistan in any format.
He said, “This time our hopes were raised again but as a professional cricketer, there is always a doubt in my mind that the Indian players will perform well on the most important occasion.”
Miandad expressed surprise at Pakistan’s strategy of playing with only one fast bowler in Shaheen Shah Afridi. He said, “Why was Faheem Ashraf not made to bowl? What does it mean to go with six spinners?
Former captain Rashid Latif said that Pakistan’s confidence had increased before the match after winning two league matches against America and Netherlands.
He said, “This time there were solid reasons behind having expectations from the match. The team seemed to be adapting to the demands of T20 cricket and looked comfortable under the guidance of coach Mike Hesson and captain Salman Ali Aga. But as always, we forgot how good the Indian team really is.
Latif said, “They (India) are a team for big matches and every player understands his role very well. Unfortunately, after watching yesterday’s match it became clear that our entire strategy was wrong.
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