NEW DELHI: Former champions Pakistan suffered a humiliating first-round exit from the ongoing T20 World Cup on Friday, with coach Babar Azam’s team facing harsh criticism from fans and former players on social media.
The last fortnight has not been good for the Pakistan team, with them being slammed relentlessly by legendary players and accusations of “grouping” within the team.
Losses to underdogs USA and arch rivals India were major setbacks for Pakistan as the 2009 champions failed to even reach the Super Eight stage.
And captain Babar has been at the centre of the storm, facing fierce criticism and anger from fans who have called for him to be removed from the T20 captaincy.
However, former England captain Michael Vaughan wants Babar to continue playing as Pakistan need to show consistency.
Vaughan said he does not consider Babar a T20 captain but the board cannot make personnel changes and overreact every time.
Babar was re-appointed as captain in late March this year following the dismissal of Shaheen Afridi.
“I don’t see him as a T20 captain yet. I see him as a Test and 50-over captain. In those two formats he is a better player. In T20 cricket he has played very well, he is a pure player but he is not in the top 15 batsmen in the world in T20 cricket. I think there are better players than him in the batting order,” Vaughan told CricketBuzz.
“But I don’t want the captaincy to be changed again. They are expected to be consistent. There is no point in changing them again. Even if he is not perfectly suited to be captain in T20 cricket, I think it is worth it for him to be consistent during this period because the last thing Pakistan need is a few more self-sabotages, substitutions, changes and overreactions. Most Pakistan fans will look at the performance of this team realistically. They are actually not a great team on paper at the moment. They are simply not a very good team. The coach, the selectors and the Pakistan system are forcing the powers that be (the captain and coach) to choose a pool of players,” he added.
Pakistan is due to host the Champions Trophy in 2025, leading to calls for a major shake-up of the squad and management.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the country’s interior minister, recently said change was imminent.
“The Pakistan team needs major surgery,” the coach told local media after the defeat to India.
“We must work hard to make the Pakistan cricket team one of the best in the world. The people do not expect such disappointing results.”
The last fortnight has not been good for the Pakistan team, with them being slammed relentlessly by legendary players and accusations of “grouping” within the team.
Losses to underdogs USA and arch rivals India were major setbacks for Pakistan as the 2009 champions failed to even reach the Super Eight stage.
And captain Babar has been at the centre of the storm, facing fierce criticism and anger from fans who have called for him to be removed from the T20 captaincy.
However, former England captain Michael Vaughan wants Babar to continue playing as Pakistan need to show consistency.
Vaughan said he does not consider Babar a T20 captain but the board cannot make personnel changes and overreact every time.
Babar was re-appointed as captain in late March this year following the dismissal of Shaheen Afridi.
“I don’t see him as a T20 captain yet. I see him as a Test and 50-over captain. In those two formats he is a better player. In T20 cricket he has played very well, he is a pure player but he is not in the top 15 batsmen in the world in T20 cricket. I think there are better players than him in the batting order,” Vaughan told CricketBuzz.
“But I don’t want the captaincy to be changed again. They are expected to be consistent. There is no point in changing them again. Even if he is not perfectly suited to be captain in T20 cricket, I think it is worth it for him to be consistent during this period because the last thing Pakistan need is a few more self-sabotages, substitutions, changes and overreactions. Most Pakistan fans will look at the performance of this team realistically. They are actually not a great team on paper at the moment. They are simply not a very good team. The coach, the selectors and the Pakistan system are forcing the powers that be (the captain and coach) to choose a pool of players,” he added.
Pakistan is due to host the Champions Trophy in 2025, leading to calls for a major shake-up of the squad and management.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the country’s interior minister, recently said change was imminent.
“The Pakistan team needs major surgery,” the coach told local media after the defeat to India.
“We must work hard to make the Pakistan cricket team one of the best in the world. The people do not expect such disappointing results.”
