Former Pakistan captain and ex-PCB chief Ramiz Raja has not minced his words while slamming the poor performance of the Men in Green side in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023. Pakistan lost their third match in a row in CWC 2023, this time to Afghanistan in Chennai.
Most of the blame for Pakistan’s humiliating loss to Afghanistan is being put on Babar Azam’s uninspiring captaincy. Though Babar Azam has done well as a batter, scoring two half-centuries- against India and Afghanistan- his leadership has failed to instill confidence in his teammates.
He has looked void of strategies and plans whenever Pakistani bowlers are under pressure and seemingly doesn’t want to deviate from a set plan, even if it is not working.
Reflecting on Pakistan's performance under the leadership of Babar, former cricketer Ramiz claimed that players looked 'scared and underconfident' against Afghanistan.
"Pakistan has a lot of problems to deal with. Babar Azam needs to improve a lot tactically. Hasan Ali was getting the ball to reverse towards the back end of the innings. The equation was run-a-ball at that stage. Pakistan needed wickets, and Hasan Ali looked very close to getting a dismissal. What was the need to bowl a spinner from the other end?," Ramiz said on his YouTube channel.
Ramiz also recalled that Babar had admitted that the bowling of his side was not up to the mark against Afghanistan.
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"It was a massive disaster for Pakistan in this World Cup. Losing to Afghanistan will hurt badly. The disappointment was writ large on Babar Azam's face when I interviewed him... Pakistan has never dealt with a surprising defeat like this one before," Ramiz added.
A PTI report has stated that PCB has made up its mind to relieve Babar Azam from captaincy. Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi have emerged as the leading captaincy candidates.
"After this World Cup, there has to be a serious discussion about altering the DNA of this team. They need a complete overhaul in terms of mindset, approach, new talent, and new ideas. We need to improve on every aspect. Pakistan has hit rock bottom. Babar Azam needs to step up and prove himself as a leader amid all this," Ramiz concluded.
Pakistan needs to win all four of their remaining matches in the World Cup to have a chance to qualify for the semi-finals. Pakistan will next face South Africa on Friday in Chennai.
