Babar Azam the leader under scanner amidst Pakistan's fading World Cup hopes
When Hasan Ali dismissed a well-set Ibrahim Zadran for 87, Babar Azam and Co. got the opening they needed to mount a comeback against Afghanistan. The ball had just started to reverse a bit, with Pakistan expected to take advantage of it.
Be it ODIs or T20Is, Afghanistan have had several heartbreaks from winning positions against Pakistan. With 92 runs still needed off 16 overs, one could sense that they had put a foot in the door. However, what followed was arguably one of the most shocking spells of captaincy seen in the 2023 World Cup.
With new batter Hashmatullah Shahidi at the crease, Babar Azam felt part-time off-spinner Iftikhar Ahmed could do the job for him. Pakistan remained in the game as the duo of Shahidi and Rahmat Shah scored just four runs in the next two overs. Surely with Hasan Ali following up with a maiden over and getting a bit of reverse swing, you would want to see a pacer at the other end.
Yet, Babar threw the ball to Shadab Khan, who was pumped down the ground for a boundary by Shahidi and slogged over mid-wicket for another boundary by Rahmat. This short spell explained how baffling Babar Azam's captaincy was against the Afghans in a nutshell.
Babar Azam lacked the art of quick-thinking
What separates great captains like MS Dhoni from others? It is their ability to read the situation, pull a trick out of their repertoire, and stay ahead of the game. Dhoni would bring on his slower bowlers into the attack the moment he figured there was grip in the pitch.
He never hesitated to make such moves even in big matches, like the 2013 Champions Trophy final where he spun a web around England and took the Men in Blue to the title. Even in conditions that seemed seamer-friendly in Birmingham, Dhoni identified the need for spin.
It almost seemed a straightforward move to bring a seamer from the other end once Hasan Ali struck. To see Babar give the ball to Shadab raised some eyebrows and rightly so. Rahmat Shah smashed a six straight down the ground off Hasan later, which showed the confidence that the new partnership had got in the middle.
Pakistan had the chance to send jitters down Afghanistan's batting line-up and cause panic in their camp with back-to-back wickets. But it was some questionable captaincy on display that helped Rahmat and Shahidi get rid of those nerves that any new partnership has in a tense chase.
The bowling changes showed lack of planning and game awareness
With 72 runs needed off 72 balls, there was still enough time for Pakistan to make a move. When Haris Rauf and Shaheen Afridi bowled the next two overs, it seemed that Babar had finally got his moves right.
However, there was a sudden bowling change from both ends and once again Usama Mir and Shadab Khan were into the attack. Shadab leaked 10 runs off his over and the Pakistan captain went back to the pacers. Shaheen and Rauf kept the game on the knife-edge with 30 runs needed off the final five overs.
Teams who have failed to get over the line in the past naturally tend to get nervous and this was Pakistan's final opportunity to make the Afghans feel the heat and force a mistake. Yet, Babar Azam decided to throw the ball to Usama Mir once again. The 46th over went for 11 runs as the shoulders of the Pakistan captain and the rest of the team dropped, realizing the game had slipped away.
Babar Azam failed to take charge of the situation
Imam-ul-Haq was seen giving a pep talk to the team during the drinks break after 31 overs. While it is completely fine for any player to step up and motivate the team, one would feel that it is the captain's job to fire up his teammates in such a crunch situation.
The frustration in Babar Azam's body language was visible with every boundary and misfield. But in such situations, the team looks up to the captain and there was no inspiration coming from that direction.
After the game, Babar Azam was quite vocal about the sloppy fielding and the poor bowling that was on display against Afghanistan. He was also probably right to say there were enough runs on the board as no team had chased more than 274 against Pakistan in World Cups.
However, the ease with which Afghanistan reached the target was a reality check to the Men in Green. They hit as many as 13 boundaries and a six in overs 11-40, a phase where it was Babar Azam's responsibility to ring in the changes and make things happen. If he wasn't getting the desired results, he should have been more proactive with his changes.
As fate has it, it was the 23rd of October when Pakistan lost the World Cup game, just as they did last year against India. Babar Azam back then was pretty vocal in the dressing room about how there shouldn't be any fingers pointed at anyone.
But for the sake of Pakistan's World Cup campaign, Babar has to be honest with himself and think about how he wants to take this team ahead. He will need to pull up his socks and inspire some change soon, or else it could be all over for Pakistan, if it wasn't already.