Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has come under the scanner for his rough patch with the bat in the ongoing T20 World Cup Down Under.
While Babar bagged a first-ball duck in Pakistan’s four-wicket defeat at the hands of India, he scored 4 off 9 balls in the match versus Zimbabwe which the Men in Green lost by one run.
Pakistan might have defeated Netherlands by six wickets in their last group match but Babar once again failed with the bat, scoring 4 off 5 balls before getting run out.
Amid his poor form, former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir recently took a jibe at Babar Azam, asking the Pakistan captain to play for the team and not think about himself.
"In my opinion, first, you think about your team instead of yourself; if nothing goes according to your plan, you should have sent Fakhar Zaman up the batting order. This is called selfishness; as a captain, it is easy to be selfish. It is easy for Babar and Rizwan to open the innings for Pakistan and create so many records. If you want to be a leader, you have to think about your team," Gambhir said on air during the Pakistan versus Netherlands game.
Now, former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has reacted to Gambhir’s sharp criticism of Babar Azam.
"Tournament k baad koshish karenge Babar ko bole ki unke baare mein bhi kuch bole kyuki woh bhi toh ghar jayenge na. [During the tournament, we'll try and tell Babar to say something about him. Afterall, he (Gambhir) will head straight back home to India too]," Afridi said on Samaa TV.
He further said that the criticism should be constructive and one that leads to the improvement of a player.
"There is always criticism but you need to be very careful with words. You should use words that it should come as an advice for the player and you can make the people understand it as well. As far as Babar is concerned, he has given so many match-winning performances. The consistency with which he has scored, very few Pakistan batters have. He may not have risen to the expectations which is why he is facing some flak."
Pakistan will next face South Africa at Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday (November 3).
