The ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 has turned into a nightmare for the Pakistan cricket team. After succumbing to a stunning defeat against the USA, Pakistan showcased a terrific bowling performance where they bundled out India for a paltry 119 in 19 overs. Even during the chase, they looked comfortably placed until the men in blue fought back to cause an extraordinary collapse. Pakistan were restricted to 113/7 while India registered a second consecutive win in the ongoing tournament.
The defeat left the Pakistan cricket fraternity fuming, so much so that several former players have called for Babar’s sacking as the captain of the team. Veteran all-rounder and former captain Shoaib Malik made a scathing attack on Babar Azam, asking him to ‘leave captaincy’.
“I have been saying for a long time, please leave captaincy. You are a class player, and you will only be able to show your class when you do not have additional responsibilities on you. If Babar stays away from captaincy, it will be good for him,” Shoaib Malik said on Ten Sports.
“People keep talking about Babar and Rizwan’s strike rates, so you brought in Saim Ayub,” Malik said.
“Yesterday, it was a 120 chase, why were you trying to improve your strike rate? The platform was set in every manner. If as a leader and a batter, your brain doesn’t kick in, in these sorts of situations, when will it? I am forced to say today that the core of this team, in the T20I format, I think we have to stop backing them,” Malik added.
“I didn’t understand that shot from Rizwan. They brought back their main bowler to pick up a wicket and Rizwan has been playing for so long and captaining in PSL. He should be familiar with the situation and put up his hand and say this is my match,” he said.
