File image of Babar Azam.©AFP
Pakistan World Cup winner Mustaq Ahmed has praised Pakistan captain Babar Azam, who has come under fire, saying other players need to contribute. He further called for more respect to be shown to Babar. As Pakistan was eliminated at the group stage of the 2024 T20 World Cup, Babar and other players in the Pakistan team were heavily criticised by former players, experts and fans. However, Mustaq Ahmed rushed to Babar’s defence, saying Babar’s aggression had increased.
“Babar’s intentions have definitely changed in the past one year. He has shown aggression in his batting and if he can get to this point then I think that’s good enough,” Mustaq told Cricket Pakistan.
“The other players also have an obligation to score runs and they have a role to play. Even if one player scores, if the rest don’t score in the remaining seven-eight overs then there is a problem,” he added.
“This has been going on for three-four years now. They (other players than Babar) only score when it doesn’t make a big impact,” Mustaq said.
Babar was Pakistan’s leading run-scorer in the 2024 T20 World Cup with 122 runs in four matches at a strike rate of just 101.66. Mohammed Rizwan, who scored the second most runs, had a strike rate of just 90.90.
Mustaq urged people to show more respect to Babar and remember his contribution to Pakistan cricket.
“Talking about Babar, there is a reason why people respect him all over the world. He has brought honour to Pakistan. I think people are very harsh on him sometimes,” Mustaq said.
Babar Azam is currently among the top five batsmen in all three ICC formats, ranking first in ODIs, third in Tests and fourth in T20Is.
Babar is expected to retain the captaincy despite his struggles in the T20 World Cup, with the “major surgery” previously promised by Pakistan Cricket Board president Mohsin Naqvi reportedly unlikely to take place.
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