One of the biggest taking points in the T20 World Cup Tournament is Babar Azam’s poor form. The skipper has managed scores of 0 (against India), 4 (against Zimbabwe), and 4 (against the Netherlands) so far.
Meanwhile, various experts have opined that he should drop himself in the batting order, but the team management hasn’t gone that way. Further, the issue has led to a war of words between former cricketers Gautam Gambhir and Shahid Afridi. The ex-India opener stated that Babar should be playing for the team and not for himself.
“In my opinion, first, you think about your team instead of yourself; if nothing goes according to your plan, you should have sent Fakhar Zaman up the batting order. This is called selfishness; as a captain, it is easy to be selfish,” Gambhir said while commentating during Pakistan vs Netherlands game on Sunday.
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Further, the statement was noted by Shahid Afridi, whose bonding with Gambhir has a long history. Speaking to Samaa TV, the former Pakistan captain reacted with a suggestion to Babar. He also added that players are often subjected to criticism but that should be constructive and lead to an individual’s betterment.
“Tournament k baad koshish karenge Babar ko bole ki unke baare mein bhi kuch bole kyuki wo bhi toh ghar jayenge na. [During the tournament, we’ll try and tell Babar to say something about him. After all, he (Gambhir) will head straight back home to India too],” Afridi said on Samaa TV.
“There is always criticism, but you need to be very careful with words. You should use words that should come as advice for the player, and you can make the people understand it as well. As far as Babar is concerned, he has given so many match-winning performances. The consistency with which he has scored, very few Pakistan batters have. He may not have risen to the expectations which are why he is facing some flak,” he added.
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