Pakistan lost the 1st Test to England by 3 wickets at Manchester.
Many felt that Azhar missed the boat on tightening the screws on England batting after having them 110-odd for five wickets down. Jos Buttler (75) and Chris Woakes (84*) added 139 runs for the sixth wicket to give England a famous win by three wickets.
However, amidst the storm, Azhar has found support in former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, who was benched for the first Test, as Pakistan preferred Muhammad Rizwan as the first-choice keeper. Sarfaraz tweeted, “Bhayya stay strong, InshaAllah, we will bounce back Pakistan zindabad.”
Ali hit back at his critics saying that it is not right to blame the captain every time and in this instance, credit must be given to the England team and in particular, Buttler and Woakes.
“It is easy to criticize with hindsight but we also need to acknowledge if someone posts a partnership like that. Every time you can’t blame the captaincy but I am here to take responsibility that we could not defend a total, as a team, which we should have,” Azhar said while talking to reporters during virtual press-conference.
“When I bat, I am not thinking about the captaincy, whether or not I am out of form, and when I am captain, I do not think about my batting at all,” he added.