Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali believes that Babar Azam needs to consider stepping down as captain of his country just like the Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli in order to play without any added for the team. Azam has been under heavy criticism from fans and experts after Pakistan’s three consecutive losses in the recent major cricket event.
Babar Azam has been an exceptional player for the Pakistan team across the format, however, his captaincy and on-field strategies have been a source of controversy. His poor decision-making has resulted in Pakistan losing momentum on several occasions. Babar’s overly defensive field placements and alterations in bowling have contributed to the team’s defeat in the ongoing ODI World Cup.
Speaking to ARY News, Basit Ali believes that Babar Azam should step down from captaincy, like Virat Kohli, in order to focus solely on his batting and improve his game in international cricket.
“I told one year ago on my channel, that Babar Azam is a very good batter. He should quit captaincy, just like Virat Kohli did. Virat stepped down and looked at his performances. His performance will become better, for sure,” Basit Ali said.
“But, as we all know, certain people on social media twisted my words, saying I don’t like Babar Azam and I am a traitor,” Basit Ali added.
Babar Azam-led Pakistan side’s World Cup campaign has taken a turn for the worse following their defeat against India in Ahmedabad. The Green Army is putting more and more pressure on Pakistan following its defeats by Afghanistan and Australia.
Pakistan’s World Cup 2023 campaign has seen three straight losses. With two wins and three losses, Babar and company are currently in fifth place in the World Cup points rankings. They will try to improve when they play South Africa on Friday.
It will be difficult for the Men in Green to advance to the semifinals with just two victories in five games. They would particularly struggle to accept that they had lost to Afghanistan since they were unable to defend a total on the surface which benefitted the spinners.
The inside source in Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) asserted that Babar Azam would be targeted and might as well step down as captain if the team leaves the tournament without making it to the World Cup semifinals.
