Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir expressed strong criticism of Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, following Pakistan’s defeat against South Africa in Match 26 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, which took place on October 27 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Pakistan chose to bat first but was bowled out for 270 runs in 46.4 overs. South Africa, in a thrilling chase, successfully reached the target in 47.2 overs, winning the game by just one wicket.
After Pakistan’s loss, Gambhir didn’t hold back in his assessment of Babar, stating that the Pakistani skipper hadn’t delivered any significant performances in his career and that his achievements and rankings were overemphasized.
Gambhir expressed his viewpoint during a segment on Star Sports, saying, “Babar Azam hasn’t made a notable impact. Records and rankings are overhyped. The true number one is the one who wins matches.”
It’s worth noting that Babar Azam scored 50 runs off 65 balls in the match against South Africa, marking his third half-century in the tournament.
In the previous game against Afghanistan, he scored 74 runs off 92 balls, and he scored 50 runs off 58 balls against India in the third fixture. In the six matches he played in the tournament, the Pakistan skipper managed to accumulate 207 runs from six innings, with an average of 34.50 and a below-average strike rate of 79. Despite holding the top rank in ODI batting, his performance in the tournament hasn’t aligned with his ranking.
In the context of the match, Pakistan lost their opening batsmen, Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq early in the innings. Both were dismissed by Marco Jansen, leaving Pakistan at 38/2 after 6.3 overs. Captain Babar Azam, with his 50 runs off 65 balls, achieved his third half-century of the tournament but couldn’t convert it into a substantial score and was eventually dismissed by Tabraiz Shamsi.
Saud Shakeel and Shadab Khan added 84 runs for the sixth wicket, helping Pakistan reach a total of over 220 runs.
In response, South Africa found themselves struggling at 250/8 after Aiden Markram’s impressive innings of 91 runs off 93 balls came to an end. However, Keshav Maharaj (7* off 21) and Tabraiz Shamsi (4* off 6) joined forces, guiding their team to a one-wicket victory by chasing down 271 runs in 47.2 overs.
