The Heated debate erupts over Babar Azam’s captaincy ahead of the Pak T20 WC opener.
In a charged debate before Pakistan’s first World Cup match, veteran opener Ahmed Shehzad launched a scathing attack on skipper Babar Azam’s leadership and team selections. On a TV show discussing the upcoming fixture against USA, Shehzad alleged favouritism under Babar, claiming certain non-performers had backed for too long.
The 34-year-old also slammed PCB’s decision to reinstate Babar as white-ball captain. The comments stirred fellow opener Imam-ul-Haq to Babar’s defense. While leadership and selection queries are fair, personal accusations should be avoided, argued the 26-year-old.
Shehzad said another captain may not have persisted with the same core for 35-40 games. He noted that Babar stepped down in 2019 after a World Cup failure but was reappointed ahead of crucial events.
Imam cited Pakistan reaching the 2021 WC semis and 2022 Asia Cup final under Babar as proof of performance. But Shehzad pointed out Babar’s failure to win a major title.
The veterans’ strongly worded exchange brought differing viewpoints within the cricketing fraternity on tackling criticism to the forefront at a time when unity is key.
