Pakistan’s premier batter and 2009 T20 World Cup winning captain Younis Khan has pulled no punches in criticizing Babar Azam’s failures as captain after Pakistan was eliminated from the race of the Asia Cup 2023 final after losing to Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka handled the pressure of a chase well and won by 2 wickets after the Babar Azam-led side had posted 252 runs on the board in a rain-shortened encounter in Colombo. Set 252 to win via the DLS method, Pakistani bowlers did well early on, but Kusal Mendis (91), Sadeera Samarawickrama (48), and Charith Asalanka (49*) fought back and took their team past the finish line.
Babar Azam is facing severe criticism for some of his captaincy decisions throughout the Asia Cup. During the rain-abandoned group stage game against India, Babar faced flak for not persisting with pacers after reducing India to 66/4, as the side recovered and eventually scored 266.
Then in the Super 4s encounter against India, Babar was slammed for winning the toss and putting India in on a batting surface as Men in Blue posted 356/2 with Virat Kohli and KL Rahul slamming unbeaten tons. Pakistan could only manage 128 and lost the game by 228 runs.
Babar's persistence with Shadab Khan despite the all-rounder's poor performances has also drawn significant attention, with many arguing that Usama Mir should have been given an opportunity instead.
Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan made a key observation on the ‘pattern’ that the side has followed over the past few years. Given the example of Mohammad Rizwan and Sarfaraz Ahmed, the two wicketkeepers in Pakistan, Younis explained why there is resistance towards using back-ups in the playing XI.
“Even if we were facing Namibia, we were more focused on keeping the winning combination. In our culture, we think, 'If Sarfaraz is the wicketkeeper, Rizwan shouldn't be there because it will create pressure on Sarfaraz, and vice-versa'. Similarly, say, if Babar Azam is the captain of the team, Younis Khan -- being the batter of similar stature -- can't be vice-captain because it would put Babar under pressure,” Younis said on ARY News.
“If you can't handle this pressure, you are not capable of being in the national team. Then, it will be difficult. Just do your homework! Captaincy isn't a very big deal actually. If your bowler isn't performing well in a particular situation, you should know how to utilize him. You can't follow a certain pattern everywhere in this day and age. Batters now have a plan. Even now, nothing has gone wrong. Address the grey areas. Don't back someone just because he is a fan favorite,” said Younis further.
The Pakistan team also saw some infighting as rumors floated about a dressing room tiff between captain Babar Azam and pacer Shaheen Afridi.
Pakistan will begin its campaign in the World Cup 2023 on October 6 against the Netherlands.
