‘If he doesn’t perform in one or two matches…’: Pakistan batter wants ‘Babar Azam to be criticised’
Babar Azam is one of Pakistan’s most decorated batters at the moment. He is currently ranked one in ODIs and has been equally impactful in the shorter and longer formats. Despite leading the batting charts, the Pakistan skipper does face a bit of criticism at times, with the most recent coming after he was dismissed for a duck in the first ODI against Afghanistan.
Babar Azam plays a shot against Afghanistan(AFP)
While criticism may not be appreciated by many, Pakistan batter Abid Ali believes in the opposite, claiming it brings the best out of him.
“It’s good, Babar should be criticized. When he is criticized, Allah blesses him in a way that he scores without any stopping. Babar has played with me; he’s also my junior – now he is a world-class player. Allah has given Pakistan such a star that there are no words to describe it. His [Babar] batting skills – it’s always fun to watch him play,” said Abid while speaking to Cricket Pakistan.
“All commentators worldwide praise him; so do we. We can pray for him that Allah bestows him with health and that he may continue to perform for the Pakistan cricket team. If he doesn’t perform in one or two matches, people start complaining that Babar didn’t perform; even the ones criticizing him want him to perform,” he added.
Babar’s current form
Babar made a strong comeback after being dismissed for a duck in the first ODI by smashing consecutive half-centuries. The Pakistan skipper scored 53 off 66 balls in the second ODI, and followed it up with another half-century in the third. Babar scored 60 off 86 balls as Pakistan piled 268/8 in 50 overs.
In response, the Afghanistan inning folded for 209 in 48.4 overs as Pakistan won the match by 59 runs. They also won the series 3-0.
Watch: Frustrated Babar Azam lets out massive scream as Rashid Khan outfoxes Pakistan captain during 3rd ODI
Babar will hope for a much strong performance in the upcoming Asia Cup, which gets underway next week.
Pakistan start their campaign against Nepal on August 30, following which they will play the marquee clash against India on September 2.
Prior to the Afghanistan series, Babar was engaged in the Lanka Premier League (LPL), where he finished as the second-highest run-scorer. Batting at a healthy strike-rate of 132.49, he had accumulated 261 runs from eight matches.
