“When Virat Kohli scored a century against Afghanistan, they forgot their entire Asia Cup” - Ramiz Raja hits out at Babar Azam critics

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ramiz Raja has hit out at those criticizing Babar Azam over his strike rate in T20Is. Pointing out that India put behind the disappointment of being knocked out of the Asia Cup to celebrate Virat Kohli’s hundred, Raja questioned whether Pakistan would do the same.

Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar has consistently dominated the ICC T20I rankings for batters. He currently occupies the third position, behind opening partner Mohammad Rizwan and in-form Indian batter Suryakumar Yadav.

Despite their impressive performances in T20Is, both Babar and Rizwan have been subject to criticism from fans and critics over their scoring rates in the format. Responding to the criticism, Raja told Samaa TV during an interview:

“Previously we used to falter at the very first hurdle. Yes, we reached the final and yes we did not play well. But it's okay to have a bad day. But there were others teams as well in the Asia Cup. I mean then India should then have been severely criticised for not reaching the final. But that is not what their fans and media do.

“I'll tell you...when Virat Kohli scored a century against Afghanistan, they forgot their entire Asia Cup. Will we ever do that? What we say is that Babar Azam scored a ton, but his strike rate was 135 while David Warner's was 147.3. So this is useless.”

PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja shares his thoughts on the #PAKvENG T20I series and the overwhelming response from fans throughout the seven matches. https://t.co/RHEZjgWFJW

Pakistan made the final of the Asia Cup, but went down to Sri Lanka in the summit clash, failing to chase down 171.

Wasim Akram lashed out at Babar Azam and Pakistan after series defeat to England

After the Asia Cup final, Pakistan suffered another disappointment at home as they lost the T20I series to England 3-4. With the series level at 3-3, the hosts needed 210 to win the deciding encounter in Lahore. However, Pakistan put up a poor batting showing and were restricted to 142 for eight.

Speaking on the post-match show, Akram criticized Babar and head coach Saqlain Mushtaq for not sending out a strong message to the batters in the chase. He opined:

“If I was Babar, I would have sent a message or told the coach to send a message to get out in 12 overs. I want you to try to win the game, but that didn’t happen. That’s the problem.”

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Shan Masood top-scored for Pakistan with 56 off 43 in the chase. Khushdil Shah’s 27 was the next best score of the innings.