After Pakistan’s humiliating seven-wicket defeat to India in the World Cup 2023, veteran Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik made a daring statement criticising Babar Azam’s leadership, which caused a commotion in the cricketing world. Known for his keen cricketing insight, Shoaib Malik was crystal clear in his assessment that Babar Azam should relinquish the leadership responsibilities and continue playing as a batter.
Shoaib Malik wants Babar Azam to leave Pakistan’s captaincy
At the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday, October 14, the Men in Green faced a battle against their bitter foes, India. The Pakistan cricket squad was unable to create an impression with the bat or the ball. They had a good start, but ultimately only scored 191 runs. They continued to struggle, losing their last eight wickets for a grand total of 36 runs. Fans in Pakistan were devastated by the loss, which also brought into question the team’s tactics and leadership.
After the 2023 World Cup encounter between India and Pakistan, Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik could not hold back his criticism. He said: “I gave an opinion in the past as well that Babar Azam should leave captaincy. This is my personal opinion. Babar does not think out of the box as a captain. He is doing captaincy but the improvement is not coming. He can do wonders for Pakistan as a player.”
Shoaib Malik’s comments highlight a serious problem that has been brewing in Pakistani cricket for some time. Babar Azam’s leadership was going well up till the India-Pakistan match. The team’s World Cup 2023 campaign got off to a winning start with two straight wins. They beat the Netherlands by an impressive 81 runs and beat Sri Lanka by chasing down 345 runs in Hyderabad. The victories proved the team’s mettle and gave supporters reason to believe in a winning season.
The defeat against India, however, has prompted questions and debates regarding the reliability of the team’s results under Babar Azam’s captaincy. It’s important to remember that cricket is a fluid and unpredictable game and that every skipper has their share of successes and failures. Pakistan’s cricket board must decide whether to take Shoaib Malik’s recommendations seriously or continue with their existing skipper.
