"He went a bit defensive" - Danish Kaneria feels Babar Azam erred tactically in T20 World Cup 2021 semi-final against Australia
Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria believes Babar Azam missed a trick by not staying prepared for Matthew Wade and Marcus Stoinis' late onslaught in their semi-final defeat to Australia in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021.
The ex-cricketer made the comments while analyzing the game on his YouTube channel. He noted that while Marcus Stoinis often takes pacers to the cleaners; he struggles against spinners. Kaneria feels Azam should have taken the Aussie batter's spin bowling woes into account.
He also opined that the Pakistani captain adapted a defensive approach during the Australia run-chase. Kaneria suggested he should have gone with a more attacking field setting for the likes of Steve Smith, who hasn't been in spectacular form in the tournament.
Here's what he said:
"Babar Azam should have thought a little about Wade and Stoinis. With Stoinis, we have seen in the IPL that he is dangerous against the fast bowlers. On the other hand, he gets trapped and is unable to play well against the spinners. This is what I think was lacking in Babar’s captaincy yesterday. He went a bit defensive as well. Steve Smith’s form has not been great and there should have been a slip early on for him."
Pakistan posted an impressive total of 176 after being asked to bat first in the semifinals at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday. They appeared to be the firm favorites to win the contest.
However, Matthew Wade and Marcus Stoinis orchestrated a stunning unbeaten partnership of 81 runs to guide Australia to a memorable victory. They will now take on New Zealand in the T20 World Cup on Sunday, November 14.
🔹 Haris Rauf’s low diving catch
🔹 Fakhar Zaman’s 50 with a six
🔹 Matthew Wade's triple sixes
Vote for your @nissan #POTD for Semi-final 2 🗳️bit.ly/POTDT20WC https://t.co/ejEQT0QEWX
"We're all aware of the things Australia do" - Danish Kaneria
David Warner's bizarre six against Mohammad Hafeez's double-bounce ball has sparked a major debate around the spirit of the game. Kaneria, in the video, stated how no other batter would have attempted to hit the ball.
He added that Warner might have thought his team needed a big hit at that stage of the game as he capitalized on Hafeez's error. The former leg-spinner even stated that Australia have often resorted to such tactics on the field in the past as well. He said:
"If there would have been anyone else instead of David Warner, then I don’t think they would have done that. That is the spirit of the game. Maybe he thought it was okay. He saw the moment and took it. He thought that his team needed it and so he did it. We all know about the things Australians do and have done."
Watch the full video here: