"We'll try and tell Babar to say something about him" - Shahid Afridi hits back at Gautam Gambhir for his comments on Babar Azam during T20 World Cup 2022
Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi wasn't impressed with former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir's comments about Men in Green skipper Babar Azam's form.
Azam has scored just eight runs from three games and many in the cricketing fraternity believe that he needs to demote himself to No. 3 for the team's benefit.
During the game between Pakistan and the Netherlands, Gambhir said on air on Star Sports that the talented batter was keeping his personal goals ahead of the team. He claimed:
"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."
Gautam Gambhir bas a piece of advice for the Pakistani skipper Babar Azam 🏏
#crickettwitter #india #pakistan #babarazam https://t.co/Fj8OeSjwRG
Shahid Afridi was asked about Gambhir's comments in an interview on SAMAA TV. Afridi stated that Babar Azam should respond to this false criticism, adding that he will try his best to convey this to the Pakistan skipper. He said:
"Tournament ke 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]."
Very few batters have scored with Babar Azam's consistency: Shahid Afridi
There have been a number of face-offs between Shahid Afridi and Gautam Gambhir both on and off the field over the years. Their disagreements seemed to enter a new chapter last month following Gambhir's comments on Babar Azam.
Afridi opined that criticism should always be constructive and help the concerned player improve their game. He stated:
"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."
The former all-rounder added about Azam's form:
"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 is why he is facing some flak."
The Pakistan skipper will look to get some runs under his belt when his team meets South Africa in a must-win fixture on Thursday, November 3, at the SCG.
Will Babar Azam find form against South Africa on Thursday? Let us know in the comments.