“If I am a Pakistan supporter, I would actually be happy about that” - AB de Villiers has an interesting take on alleged rift in Pakistan camp
South African batting legend AB de Villiers had a rather interesting take on the alleged rift in the Pakistan camp following their poor performance in the Asia Cup. According to De Villiers, a little bit of arguing is good as it shows that the team has more than one leader.
According to some reports, skipper Babar Azam and left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi were involved in a heated dressing room exchange following Pakistan’s exit from the Asia Cup. Amid the rumors, however, Afridi shared a picture with Babar and captioned it “family”.
Speaking on the 360 show, De Villiers opened up on the controversy and opined that there was nothing wrong if a few words were exchanged in the Pakistan dressing room.
“We saw some footage in the change room, where there was a little bit of friction. A couple of fights here and there, which is absolutely normal. If I am a Pakistan supporter, I wouldn’t worry about that. I would actually be happy about that - there are some leaders standing up and making their voices heard and even arguing a little bit," he commented.
“There’s nothing wrong with that, you need that sometimes to settle the dust. To look each other in the eye, to tell each other - listen, this is how it’s going to work, that is not on, this is how we play. Now we are going into the World Cup, we need to man up,” De Villiers added.
Meanwhile, amid reports of the alleged spat, Babar recently attended pacer Afridi’s wedding reception.
“They’ll have to find some form on the park” - De Villiers on Pakistan’s form heading into World Cup
While De Villiers is okay with a bit of tension in the dressing room, the former South African captain admitted that Pakistan will have to pull up their socks with regard to on-field performance with the ODI World Cup just days away.
“I would be quietly optimistic or quietly confident as a Pakistan fan. They’ve done incredibly well to sort these things out in the dressing room. It’s always a good sign. But, at the end of the day, they’ll have to find some form on the park. We know they are capable,” he said, concluding his thoughts on the Pakistan team.
Pakistan bowed out of the Asia Cup following defeats to India (228 runs) and Sri Lanka (two wickets via the DLS method) in the Super 4 round.