Babar Azam, Pakistan’s all-format captain, has earned the title of media’s comic villain after his team failed to win a single home Test series in 2022. However, following his altercations with media personnel following the Test series against New Zealand, former Pakistani captain Misbah-ul-Haq has defended the under fire batting sensation.
In 2022, the Pakistani Test squad had a dismal season in the longest version of the game, and captain Babar Azam came under scrutiny from both experts and journalists. Despite his outstanding batsmanship, his leadership abilities have come under scrutiny after another unsuccessful home Test series against the Kiwis. Misbah-ul-Haq, a former cricketer, has criticised those who blame Babar for Pakistan’s loss in red-ball cricket. Instead of publicly criticising the skipper, he believed that a choice should be taken after consideration from the board and the selection committee. Misbah believes that criticising a player in this way will only cause the team to become disoriented and perform poorly.
“It is visible, Babar is being forced to become weak, which is not good. The kind of press conferences and questions being asked by Babar, everyone is watching. If there is a decision to be made, everyone should sit together and make a decision. The players, the selection committee, and the board should sit down and make a decision comfortably. If you put pressure on someone for any other reason, the whole team will be disturbed. It should not happen,” Misbah said to Geo News.
Pakistan has recently struggled in the traditional style of the game, but the Men in Green have excelled in white-ball cricket. Misbah lauded the team’s accomplishments in the game’s shorter formats and expressed excitement for the 50-over World Cup later this year. “Pakistan team is undoubtedly a powerhouse in white ball cricket. Pakistan’s bowlers and batters are top in white ball cricket,” Misbah added.