“Babar Azam is not captaincy material” – Former Pakistan cricketer after disappointing bowling performance vs England
Former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria has criticized Babar Azam's leadership after the bowling unit failed miserably against England in the Rawalpindi Test.
The veteran pointed out that the skipper failed to rotate his bowlers properly and had wrong field placements. He wants the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to immediately sack him from the captaincy role and ask him to focus on his batting.
The statement comes amid a lean patch for Babar with the bat. He failed miserably in the T20 World Cup, scoring just 124 runs in seven matches.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaneria said:
"16:18 – Babar Azam is not captaincy material. We have seen him in T20, ODI and Tests. Remove him immediately, ask him to bat and make someone else captain."
Kaneria is disappointed to see that Pakistan failed to take advantage of playing in home conditions. He said:
“16:40 – You are playing in your home conditions. You’ve played all your life here.”
He added:
"9:40 - Babar Azam removed slips when Haris Rauf was bowling, who has not played a four-day Test. At least go with a slip and gully, but he scattered his field right from the start."
For the uninitiated, England scored 506/4 at a stunning run rate of 6.75 on the first day as four different batters – Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, and Harry Brooks - hit centuries.
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The visitors were eventually bowled out for 657 in 101 overs, pushing the hosts on the backfoot.
“There is no pressure” – Babar Azam on his captaincy ahead of the Test series
Babar Azam, who guided Pakistan to the T20 World Cup final, has clarified that he is under no pressure while leading the national team. The right-handed batter said that he always looks forward to giving his 100 percent on the field.
@ajinkyasd @ppushp7 @KrishnaKRM @mohanstatsman @ss04072012 Babar Azam's current streak is the 6th highest in most consecutive matches as captain.
128 - Mohammad Azharuddin (1991-96)
100 - Mahela Jayawardene (2006-08)
99 - Hansie Cronje (1994-98)
95 - Alistair Campbell (1996-99)
89* - Assad Vala (2016-22)
84* - Babar Azam (2021-22)
Speaking to Pakistan Cricket, he said:
“4:20 - Representing Pakistan across formats is a proud moment for me. There is no pressure. The effort is to give my best performance, and the ups and downs move along with time. I give my 100 percent. I don’t overthink what will happen.”
Babar Azam has so far led Pakistan in 14* Tests, registering eight wins and three losses, while two matches ended in a draw.
It's worth mentioning that Babar has been brilliant in Tests this year, scoring 661 runs in nine innings at an average of 73.44, including a couple of centuries. He needs to step up with the bat to help Pakistan fight back in the contest.