Credits:Twitter X
Azhar Ali defended Babar Azam against Ahmed Shehzad’s unwarranted criticism, calling out former cricketers for airing baseless opinions and airing personal grievances on live television.
Babar Azam has faced scrutiny since the Pakistan National Cricket Team’s elimination from the T20 World Cup 2024. The team’s early departure came as India and the United States of America (USA) advanced to the Super 8 stage.
Under Babar Azam’s leadership, Pakistan appeared disorganized throughout the tournament. They suffered a disappointing defeat to the United States of America (USA), sparking widespread criticism. In the subsequent super over, their performance was lackluster both with the bat and the ball.
Despite showing improvement against India, Pakistan suffered a devastating loss after squandering a winning position, ultimately falling short by 6 runs. Their hopes were further dashed when the match between the United States of America and Ireland was washed out, leading to Pakistan’s elimination from the tournament.
Amidst the team’s struggles, captain Babar Azam has become a focal point of criticism. Fans and experts alike have scrutinized his leadership and batting performance. In three games so far, Azam has managed only 91 runs at a strike rate of approximately 104, failing to provide the leadership and batting prowess expected of him.
Ahmed Shehzad, a prominent critic of Babar Azam, has been relentless in his assessments of the batter. Shehzad labeled Azam as the “social media king” and highlighted his record of scoring the most runs for Pakistan in losing matches. He emphasized this point by stating:
“You say you are the biggest player in the world. Tell me, you have 1,400 runs in your losing stat. Which king is he? You have highlighted your small things on social media and made it so big that you fooled the people of Pakistan.”
Azhar Ali fires shots at Ahmed Shehzad for his criticism of Babar Azam
Azhar Ali strongly defended Babar Azam in response to Ahmed Shehzad’s harsh comments, criticizing Shehzad for airing personal grievances on television instead of focusing on constructive critique. Ali emphasized the importance of maintaining professional respect and urged critics to consider their own career achievements before passing judgment. He stressed that criticism should be constructive and not aimed at personal attacks, highlighting that Babar Azam’s silence on such matters shouldn’t be misconstrued as an invitation for baseless criticism.
“Some recently retired players are now sitting on TV, talking nonsense and taking out their grudges. Look at what you have achieved in your career. Sitting on TV and criticizing Babar on any other player is easy, but criticism should not be personal. Just because Babar cannot reply to you doesn’t mean you can say any rubbish you want.”
