Babar Azam is having a terrible time in the ongoing World Cup both as a captain and batter. Under his leadership, Pakistan have lost four out of six games so far and they are on the brink of early elimination from the global tournament.
While Babar has been among runs in the marquee event, he has failed to do justice with the No. 1 position that he holds in the ICC ODI Rankings for batters.
The right-hander has registered scores of 5, 10, 50, 18, 74 and 50 in six innings. In particular, his below-par strike rate of 79 has drawn him a lot of flak from fans and experts alike.
Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has also slammed Babar Azam’s approach, questioning how the Pakistan skipper even became the world No. 1 ranked batter in ODIs.
"You want to talk about Babar's captaincy and his batting...he scored three fifties in the last six games. I don't know why he is No.1 ranked ICC batter. Yes he has scored a lot of runs in the last two years. He has 19 centuries to his name but records and rankings are all too very overrated. A No.1 player is that who helps you win matches. He has scored a lot of runs but is yet to play an impactful knock where he has single-handedly won the game for the team. He scored three fifties in this World Cup but Pakistan went past 300 only once, against Australia, which they eventually lost," Gambhir told Star Sports.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Indian batting legend Virender Sehwag was critical of Babar Azam as well, claiming that the latter seems to be happy by keeping his place in the XI with just half-century knocks.
"It wasn't a bad innings. Pakistan lost two early wickets and he held one end, helping the team to revive. But is he satisfied with just a 50? No. Any other No. 3 batter would want to take that 50 and convert it into a big score. Had he done that, Pakistan would have ended with 300-plus total. And that is where the difference is drawn. Great players don't let go of such opportunities. Babar Azam is using his form to the extent that he only keeps his place in the side," Sehwag stated.
Pakistan have three matches left in the World Cup 2023. It will be interesting to see whether Babar Azam changes his approach and finish the campaign on a high with some impactful innings.
The Men in Green are due to face Bangladesh in their next match at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Tuesday (October 31).
