Babar, the third-ranked T20I batsman according to the ICC, has not met expectations during the T20 World Cup, lacking the ability to motivate his team during crucial moments.
Following a disappointing beginning to the T20 World Cup, Babar Azam and his team have encountered criticism from various quarters. The Pakistani squad received a harsh reality check in their opening match against co-hosts USA, where they were narrowly defeated in a thrilling Super Over. Despite boasting a lineup filled with stars, Pakistan faltered under pressure against a non-Test playing nation, a trend that continued in their batting performance against arch-rivals India. Nonetheless, they demonstrated resilience in their third match against Canada, securing their first victory of the tournament.
Babar, currently ranked third by the ICC in T20I batting, has struggled to meet expectations and hasn’t provided the necessary inspiration for his team during critical moments. He’s faced scrutiny for his below-par strike rate and perceived shortcomings in leadership as captain.
Salman Butt, a former Pakistan captain, has joined the chorus of players criticizing Babar. While some Pakistani players have dubbed Babar with the nickname “king,” a title also closely associated with batting sensation Virat Kohli, Butt has denounced this as self-proclamation by the Pakistan captain. He criticized Babar for drawing comparisons with the Indian star.
“There is self-proclamation that our captain is the king and the other is the world’s best fast bowler. Sometimes we compare this guy with (Jasprit) Bumrah and him (Babar) with (Virat) Kohli…Okay, you touched ICC (top) ranking at one point, but also touched reality sometime. Are you able to win a match on your own? Is there a standing of our team? It’s similar to those YouTube thumbnails that you are enticed to click and open once,” Salman said in a video which has gone viral on social media.
Butt went on to accuse Pakistani players of orchestrating paid social media campaigns to garner attention, suggesting that it’s high time to bring them back down to reality.
“Besides its good things, one bad thing about social media is that you can get anything done by paid campaigns…your decisions are based on paid campaigns. We should bring these self-proclaimed greats back on earth and (tell them to) stay who they are. First win a match, a big tournament, fight it out to win against a big team, finish a match single-handedly, then think what you want to proclaim.”
