"He is just bothered about himself" - Danish Kaneria tears apart Babar Azam after Pakistan's T20 World Cup 2022 final loss
Former cricketer Danish Kaneria blamed Babar Azam's poor captaincy for Pakistan's heartbreaking five-wicket loss to England in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2022 final.
He emphasized that Babar is not capable of captaining a T20 team. Kaneria accused the Pakistani skipper of focusing on his personal gains over the team's benefit.
The 41-year-old opined that the player should be asked to give up his opening spot after his underwhelming performances at the showpiece T20 event. Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said:
"I was completely shocked when he brought Iftikhar Ahmed into the attack. He is not captain material, especially in T20 cricket. When it comes to his batting, he should be asked to bat at No.3.
"He should not be allowed to open the innings. His captaincy is to blame for the loss. He was absolutely pathetic. He is just bothered about himself."
Kaneria expressed displeasure over Babar asking part-time spinner Iftikhar Ahmed to bowl at a crucial juncture in the summit clash following Shaheen Afridi's injury. He believes that it was the player's captaincy that had cost the Men in Green the trophy.
"The young guy was under a lot of pressure" - Danish Kaneria on Mohammad Haris' knock in T20 World Cup 2022 final
Mohammad Haris struggled to get going against England in the all-important tie, managing just eight runs during his brief stay at the crease. However, Kaneria feels that the youngster should not be targeted for getting out cheaply.
He pointed out that the 21-year-old was under tremendous pressure, given the magnitude of the encounter. The former leg spinner also suggested that a batter cannot succeed by trying to slog right from the word go.
Kaneria added:
"I would not blame Mohammad Haris for failing. The young guy was under a lot of pressure, considering that it was a very big match and he was playing in front of a packed stadium. He tried his best to hit some shots. But you cannot walk in and try to tonk the ball straightaway."
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Babar Azam and Co. were able to register a below-par total of 137/8 after being asked to bat first at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. England chased down the target comfortably with an over to spare to win the T20 World Cup trophy.