Former Pakistan captain Moin Khan didn't mince words as he criticized current skipper Babar Azam after Men in Green's 7-wicket defeat to India in their ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 14.
India delivered a dominating performance, continuing their winning streak in the Cricket World Cups by securing their 8th straight win over Pakistan.
On the other hand, despite a promising start that saw Pakistan scoring 155/2 at one point, the team faltered and their innings crumbled, as they are out for 191. Team India chased down the target in 30.3 overs to win the match by seven wickets.
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Moin Khan, in his analysis of the match, openly criticized the Pakistan captain by saying that he was "scared" during the game, and the same thing was reflected in the body language of other team members against India.
Moin Khan said on A Sports: “Babar's batting in terms of intent, as captain, it was not his natural game. He took 58 balls. When he came to the crease, he was in a settled pitch and situation when the first wicket fell at 41. He should've maintained the flow a bit and attacked slightly.”
He continued, “Ye to intent hota hain a pura reflect karta hai team ke andar (The intent reflects within the team). Aapka kaptaan jab dara hua nazar ayega, nahi khelega to ladke bhi phir wese hi react karte (If your captain is afraid to play his shots, boys will also react similarly).”
Moin signed off by saying, “They looked under pressure, and clearly, because of this, they didn't execute proper shots. Aap pehle se dare hue honge yaar mai shots khelunga to out na ho jaun(You are afraid whether you'll get out while playing the shots). I didn't see intent from any batters.”
Meanwhile, former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik criticized Babar’s captaincy against India.
Malik said during the same discussion:“Babar Azam has been running the show, this is his responsibility. Sit with the players. There should be B and C plans. When you play big teams, they counterattack your plan A, and you don't have an answer.”
Pakistan will next face Australia in Bengaluru on October 20.
