In a scathing critique, former Indian cricketer Parthiv Patel has slammed Pakistan captain Babar Azam, labeling him as selfish amid Pakistan’s disastrous exit from the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. The Pakistan team, under Babar’s leadership, was eliminated from the group stage, facing severe backlash from fans and analysts alike.
Babar Azam was reinstated as captain ahead of the T20 World Cup, which took place in the West Indies and the United States. During the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, Saim Ayub was promoted to open the innings, pushing Babar down to the No. 3 spot. However, just before the World Cup, Babar resumed his role as an opener but failed to make a significant impact.
Parthiv Patel didn’t hold back in his criticism, pointing out that Fakhar Zaman had to bat lower down the order due to Babar’s preference to open.
“Skipper wanted to open, so Fakhar was demoted. When the captain is selfish, there is no chance,” Parthiv stated. He further emphasized that this issue had been highlighted by cricketing legends such as Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis.
Patel also addressed the broader issues plaguing Pakistan’s T20 team, noting a lack of competent players in the shortest format. “They don’t have good players in T20 format. Batters are scoring runs at a strike rate of 150-160, but Pakistan cricketers are still in the 120s. They are behind other international teams,” he added.
Despite taking over the captaincy from Shaheen Afridi, Babar appeared directionless during the World Cup campaign, culminating in an unprecedented loss to the USA.