Credit: Twitter
Following the eight-wicket loss against Afghanistan in the ODI World Cup 2023, the captain of Pakistan, Babar Azam and the rest of the Men in Green have faced constant criticism from all comers. Basit Ali, the former Pakistan cricketer, talked about how Babar Azam should step down from captaincy to improve his performances as a batter while slamming the fans for calling him a traitor after he had made the same suggestion earlier.
In the first five ODI World Cup 2023 matches, Pakistan won only two matches while succumbing to three consecutive defeats afterwards. The form of their captain, Babar Azam, as the batter and the captain on the field has been a major point of contention among the fans and former cricketers alike, with some calling for him to quit captaincy.
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Basit Ali, who played 19 Tests and 50 ODIs for the Pakistan cricket team from 1993 to 1996, was quoted as saying on a Pakistani news channel, as per the report from NDTV Sports, “I told one year ago on my channel that Babar Azam is a very good batter. He should quit captaincy, just like Virat Kohli did. Virat stepped down and looked at his performances. His performance will become better, for sure.”
Then, the 52-year-old spoke about his suggestions about Babar Azam’s captaincy future, which weren’t taken too kindl y by the fans. He said, “But, as we all know, certain people on social media twisted my words, saying I don't like Babar Azam and I am a traitor .”
Notably, Pakistan will be playing against South Africa in their next match of the ODI World Cup 2023, on Friday, October 27, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The Men in Green will have their backs against the walls, with the chances of a semi-final spot in the quadrennial spectacle slipping away fast.
