Pakistan have an improbable task at their hands to qualify for the World Cup 2023 semis.
Babar has come under the scanner for his failure as captain and batter in this World Cup. The Men in Green have managed to win four out of eight games in the competition so far. On the other hand, the Pakistan captain has amassed 282 runs at an average of 40.28 and a strike rate of 82.69.
“It was not a nominated meeting. I was doing a show for the ICC at the nets. It was a meeting by chance. There were no specific plans for this meeting with Babar,” Raja told SUNO NEWS.
“Babar looked depressed and sounded frustrated because Pakistan have failed to qualify for the semifinal of the World Cup,” he added.
According to Ramiz, the Pakistani players are upset by the criticism they have been receiving from the media back home.
“Pakistani players have felt the reaction from back home. PCB and journalists played an important role but majority play negative role. It is difficult to cope in the social media era.
“In fact some journalists on agenda attack players on city basis which has damaged Pakistan Cricket a lot. We are living with a tribal mindset.”
Ramiz Raja lauded Babar Azam for not losing his composure in the press conference while responding to journalist’s questions.
“Babar is a mature captain with a good temperament who handles his anger very well. Pakistan Cricket Team is losing and people passing comments is unbearable. If I was in place of Babar, I would’ve given harsh answers in press-conference. I think as a critic we need to introspect,” said Raja.
“Pakistan Cricket has no system like India or Australia who’ve a great back-up talent. We are bound to utilise current bunch of players carefully.
“There is no need of drastic changes. Pakistan Cricket needs time to move forward. I felt bad after talking to him,” he further remarked.
In order to qualify for the semi-final, Pakistan have a daunting task at their hands. Babar’s men need to beat England by at least 287 runs to eliminate New Zealand as the fourth semi-finalist on the basis of net run rate. In case of chasing, they have to overhaul the target in less than five overs.