Former Pakistan cricketer Imran Nazir has come out in support of Ace Pakistan batter Babar Azam, describing him as the world’s best player and asking the criticizers to first learn the complexities of the game before passing judgment on a batter.
Babar Azam has been one of Pakistan’s most productive batters in recent years, he has also experienced some lows in recent years across the formats. He received a lot of criticism for his batting and captaincy during the 2023 ODI World Cup in India.
In a recent interview with a local news channel, Imran Nazir spoke highly about Babar Azam’s distinct blend of technical prowess, cricketing talents, and personality, claiming that Babar Azam epitomizes the core of what it means to be a cricketer and feels that everyone in the team needs to contribute to the team’s success.
“For those who criticize Babar Azam, I would say, at least understand cricket first. He is the world’s best player, and I believe that in Pakistan, Babar is the player who, in terms of technique, as a cricketer, and as a personality embodies what it means to be a cricketer. A team doesn’t rely solely on one player; there are 10 other players who also contribute. He is doing his part; what about the rest?” Imran Nazir said.
Following a meeting with Zaka Ashraf, then Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee, Babar Azam stepped down as captain in all formats. Following Azam’s decision, the Pakistan Cricket Board picked Shan Masood as the Test captain and Shaheen Shah Afridi as the T20 captain.
Babar Azam Is Making Pakistan Proud, The Rest Of The World Praises Him – Imran Nazir
Imran Nazir emphasized the significance of teamwork, arguing that blaming a single player for the team’s success is unreasonable, especially when the entire squad is not performing to expectations, and stated that Babar Azam is making the country proud with his brilliance with the bat.
“They say teamwork, how a team works together, and it’s not just one player’s teamwork. When the entire team is not doing anything, you can’t blame Babar as much as you want by lifting him, but now I also see that everyone is behind him, why don’t you say anything to the other players? He is making Pakistan proud, the rest of the world praises him, considers him a player, but here we sideline him and bring someone else in,” Imran Nazir added.
The 29-year-old scored 320 runs in nine innings with an average of 40. Babar Azam resigned as captain after Pakistan failed to advance to the ICC tournament’s knockout stage. He was under scrutiny after a spate of subpar performances recently and would look to regain his form ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
