'Had Shahid, Misbah Got Same Support...' - Kamran Akmal Blasts Fans For Supporting Babar Azam
Published - 14 Nov 2023, 04:52 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 07:53 AM
Babar Azam failed to end Pakistan’s long wait for the World Cup title as their campaign in the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 ended in a disappointing way.
The Men in Green have not won the coveted title since 1992 when Imran Khan led them to their maiden title. They have not qualified for the final since 1992 while they last appeared in the semifinals in 2011. Expectations were sky-high from Babar Azam after he led the team to the number one rankings in ODIs earlier this year.
He, however, failed to lead the team to the knockouts. Pakistan crashed out at the league stage after managing just 4 wins in 9 games. They began their campaign with 2 wins before losing 4 games in a row. It was followed by two more wins before England inflicted a 93-run defeat on the Babar Azam-led side.
Kamran Akmal takes shots at fans:
Following Babar Azam’s failure as a captain in the World Cup, Kamran Akmal has come down heavily on him. The former wicketkeeper-batsman launched a scathing attack at the under-fire Pakistan captain while speaking at a recent event. He opined that Babar’s predecessors would have led the team to glory had they received the same support he has. He indirectly targeted the fans too for not showing the same support to former captains.
“The amount of support Babar and this team got from fans in the last three years, had they shown the same support to Younis (Khan), Shahid (Afridi), Misbah (Misbah ul Haq), these guys would have won you a World Cup,” said Kamran Akmal.
Kamran Akmal says had Pakistan fans supported Shahid Afridi, Misbah Ul Haq and Younis Khan for 3 years like they supported Babar Azam throughout, they would have won the World Cup for Pakistan which Babar failed too ??? #CWC23 pic.twitter.com/SoujUOM17J
— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) November 13, 2023
With several reports suggesting that Babar is likely to be sacked as the team’s captain, Akmal stated that the batter should choose between captaincy and batting. He also advocated for different captains for different formats.
“He has to make up his mind. What the Pakistan Cricket Board decides is something different. But he has to realise that captaining the team and being the main batsman is not everyone’s cup of tea.
“I think we need to have separate captains for red and white-ball formats,” said Akmal.
