Babar Azam has, thus far, struggled to meet the high expectations set for him in this World Cup. In the five matches Pakistan has participated in, the right-handed batsman has managed only two half-centuries, albeit not at his most fluent.
To compound matters, Babar’s leadership as captain is also facing criticism, with experts urging him to relinquish his role. In a contrasting perspective, former Pakistan cricketer Aamir Jamal has voiced his support for Babar, advocating that the skipper be allowed some space.
Taking to Instagram, Jamal drew parallels between Babar’s recent form dip and that of Kohli, remarking, “Kohli faced a four-year period of poor form, and nobody criticized him, but now that Babar Azam is struggling, he’s facing heavy criticism.”
Aamir Jamal's insta story 😭❤️#BehindYouBabarAzam #BabarAzampic.twitter.com/gD4BYkrRX6
— SAAD 🇵🇰 (@SaadIrfan258) October 25, 2023
It’s worth noting that when Kohli went through a rough patch, Pakistani skipper Azam expressed support and famously said, “This shall too pass.” Kohli managed to turn things around impressively and has recently notched up seven centuries across different formats in the past year. In this year’s World Cup, Kohli is the second-highest run-scorer, accumulating 354 runs in five games thus far.
Meanwhile, rumors circulate that Babar might lose his captaincy. The Men in Green are enduring a difficult phase, losing three consecutive matches, with the defeat against Afghanistan being the latest setback. Speculation surrounds the potential replacements for captaincy, with Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan’s names being mentioned.
As it stands, Pakistan is in fifth place on the points table with four points from five games. They must secure at least three more victories to maintain hopes of reaching the semifinals. Babar Azam’s team is scheduled to face South Africa in their next match tomorrow.
