Gautam Gambhir, the former Indian cricketer, and former World Cup champion, didn’t hold back his criticism of Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, following his team’s defeat to South Africa in the 26th match of the 2023 ODI World Cup on Friday.
The Pakistani cricket team set out to compete in the ICC World Cup 2023 with a strong start, scoring a victory against the Netherlands in the opening match and following it with another win against Sri Lanka. However, things have taken a turn for the worse since then, as they’ve met disappointment after disappointment.
In their latest match against South Africa, Pakistan elected to bat first but found themselves all out for 270 in 46.4 overs. South Africa managed to chase down the target in an exciting duel, winning the game by just one wicket. Pakistan’s skipper, Babar Azam, attracted severe criticism for his slow-paced innings. Babar scored 50 runs off 65 balls against South Africa, marking his third half-century in the tournament. In the previous game against Afghanistan, he contributed 74 runs from 92 balls and scored 50 runs from 58 balls against India in the third match.
It’s worth mentioning that the scrutiny and criticism of Babar Azam’s performance have been on the rise lately, particularly about his batting. In the six matches played thus far, Babar has accumulated a total of 207 runs and has struggled to satisfy expectations in critical contests against India, Australia, and South Africa.
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Gautam Gambhir has expressed strong criticism of Babar, contending that the Pakistani captain has yet to deliver a truly significant performance in his career. Gambhir further suggests that Babar’s records and rankings may not accurately reflect his abilities and impact on the game.
Speaking on Star Sports, Gautam Gambhir said, “Babar Azam hasn’t played any impactful inning. Records and rankings are overrated. The real No.1 is the one who wins matches.”
Throughout the tournament, the Pakistan captain has participated in six matches, amassing a total of 207 runs across six innings. His batting average stands at 34.50, and while he has a somewhat below-par strike rate of 79, it’s worth noting that, despite being the number-one ranked ODI player, his performances in the tournament have not quite lived up to his top position. This 29-year-old cricketer is grappling with a struggle to validate his ranking with his current tournament showings.
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