After Pakistan’s elimination from the ODI World Cup 2023, captain Babar Azam has come under criticism from former cricketers, and there is a consensus among many that he should step down from his captain’s role.
Pakistan, unfortunately, secured only four victories in the prestigious tournament and finished in the fifth position on the points table. Although they began with two consecutive wins, a sequence of four consecutive losses complicated their campaign.
Despite the criticism of Babar Azam, former India skipper Kapil Dev has come to the defense of Pakistan’s captain. Kapil highlighted that the 29-year-old played a significant role in making Pakistan the No. 1 ranking in ODI cricket. He said that selectors should not base their decision solely on current performance and suggested assessing Babar Azam’s capabilities in high-pressure situations before making any kind of decision.
While having a conversation with My Khel, Kapil Dev said, “Today you will say Babar is not performing well because you are seeing the current situation. But the same captain made Pakistan the number-one team six months back. When someone makes zero, 99% of people will say drop him and will back an ordinary player who scores a century saying, he is the next superstar.”
He further added, “So don’t go with current performances. Look at how he has approached the game, how he plays in tough situations is how a player should be judged rather than one or two low scores.”
However, according to reports, it is likely that Babar Azam will be removed from the captaincy of the Pakistan cricket team in the upcoming days. Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi are currently the frontrunners to take over the captaincy role.
