Babar Azam, Pakistan's star batter and captain, has been under fire for his poor form in the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023.
Former Pakistan cricketer, Shahid Afridi, has questioned his abilities as a match-winner and criticised his inability to finish matches even after getting set on the crease.
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Babar's campaign in the tournament had a rocky start, with scores of five and 10 against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka. However, Pakistan managed to win both of those games despite his struggles.
In the subsequent four games, he managed to score three half-centuries, including one against India, but Pakistan ended up losing all four of those matches.
Even in the previous game against Bangladesh on October 31, where Babar once again got dismissed early, Pakistan emerged victorious which shows that the team is not relying on his heroics to get over the line.
Afridi believes that his individual milestones in the form of half-centuries have not translated into match-winning performances, whereas, the likes of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul have proven time and again that they not only score runs but also ensure that they stay till the end to help India get over the line.
What did Shahid Afridi say about Babar Azam?
“Scoring 50-100 runs is different and winning the match with Babar Azam’s scores is something else. What do Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and others do? They score runs and they lead their teams to victory. There’s a huge craze for Babar among the fans and I am a fan myself,” said Shahid Afridi.
“But sometimes it becomes difficult to explain to people what you want from the player. You say Babar Azam is a great player. People do reach that level, but they also need to maintain it. When he goes out, it feels like Babar Azam is going to score 50-60 runs, not that he’s going to win the match for us. We don’t get that feeling from him,” he added.
What are Pakistan’s remaining ICC World Cup 2023 matches?
November 4 - vs New Zealand in Bengaluru
November 11 - vs England in Kolkata
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Who will win the 2023 World Cup?
India, Australia and South Africa are among the top five favourites for the 2023 World Cup title. The odds from Dafabet are as follows:
| Team | Odds (Dafabet) |
|---|---|
| India | 2.15 |
| Australia | 5.00 |
| South Africa | 4.75 |
| New Zealand | 7.00 |
| Pakistan | 29.00 |
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