(AP Photo)
Following consecutive defeats to the USA and India in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, both the Pakistan team and Babar Azam have come under intense scrutiny from various sources. Former Pakistan opener Ahmed Shehzad did not hold back in his criticism, directly targeting Azam. Shehzad accused the PAK skipper of assembling a team composed of his close associates and launched a harsh critique of Azam’s batting displays in crucial matches for the team.
“You have hallucinated people by scoring runs against B, C, and D teams,” started Shehzad when he was asked to comment on Pakistan’s latest loss to India in New York on Sunday. “Your salaries were increased by PCB to evolve your game, but you put their money on social media for image building and nothing else,” said th2 32-year-old on a cricket show.
“Look at your scores in big tournaments, your stats, your average and your strike rate. What kind of a king Babar Azam … Iss king kya karu jisne match nahi jitwana hai. (What do I do with a King who does not win you matches). There is a stat that your big scores have come it losing causes.”
Shehzad’s remarks stem from Azam’s poor strike rate and below-average performance in crucial matches for Pakistan. In the match against India, Azam was dismissed for just 13 runs as Pakistan struggled in their pursuit of 120 runs. Similarly, in the match against the USA, which Pakistan lost in the Super Over, Azam scored 44 runs off 43 deliveries, indicating a slow-paced innings.
“You have picked your friends and given them 40 matches to prove their worth and this is hurting Pakistan cricket. You can give 40 matches to this 40-year-old (pointing towards former PAK player Imran Nazir) and he will also give you performances at this age. Look at our domestic performers, they are ignored and they are leaving the country, going to the USA, and UAE to play cricket,” he said.
Continuing his criticism, Shehzad pointed out Azam’s failure to construct a cohesive team despite serving as the team’s captain for five years. “You are a middle-order batter and a leader and you had five years to build the team; but you have not been able to develop a single middle-order batter, there is no proper allrounder in the team. Aapne kisi ko ban ne nahi diya, aapko sirf thulle chahiye thee, ji aap upar se 15 over khlele, aur fir neeche se aake aaknhe band karke maarte jaae. (You did not develop anyone, you only needed players who hit blindly because you want to bat for 15 overs and then have these players come in and try to hit blindly),” added Shehzad.
Having last represented Pakistan in 2019, Shehzad dedicated three years to domestic cricket in hopes of staging a comeback, yet he has consistently been overlooked. Shehzad also directed criticism towards the PCB and its chairman, accusing them of unprofessional conduct and alleging that the Board harbors individuals with ulterior motives.
