Imam-ul-Haq and Ahmed Shehzad get into a fight on live show, Babar's friend punches Shehzad (Watch Video)

Pakistan's popular news channel, Geo News Urdu, has turned into a battlefield during the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024, where the verbal fight between two players over Pakistan National Cricket Team captain Babar Azam is currently making headlines.

For the past week, Pakistani cricketer Ahmed Shehzad has been continuously targeting Babar on Geo News Urdu’s talkshow "Haarna Mana Hai" after the Pakistan cricket team’s horrific start to their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign in the USA. He also slammed Babar’s form in the tournament.

Shehzad mocked Babar's tag of "King" by branding him a "fake king" while questioning his statistics in the World Cups. He also said that Babar's stats are worse than his, and he accused the stylish batter of favoritism, saying he is not allowing young players to grow by selecting his friends.

Imam-ul-Haq defends Babar Azam against Ahmed Shehzad’s onslaught on national TV

Now, Pakistani batter Imam-ul-Haq came out in support of Babar with a sensational counterattacking statement to lash out at Shehzad for disrespecting the captain in front of the whole world on a live TV show.

Imam emphasized that while fans have the right to criticize Babar and the team's performance, it is crucial to maintain respect for the players. He admitted the disappointment of losing to India in the T20 World Cup 2024 but said that the team's contributions and efforts should not be forgotten.

Imam ul Haq said on Geo New’s talk show: “We have played for Pakistan for a long time. You can criticize, and you have the right to do so. We are all disappointed that Pakistan lost to India, but please one should not forget about respecting the players. He is your captain; remove him or not in the future; he is currently the leader of the side.

If you don’t consider him ‘King’ or not, it doesn’t matter because the world calls him that. Nothing you say makes a difference in the end. If the matter of respect is coming up for Azam Khan, with people saying don’t body shame him, it should also be the same for Babar. He is a Pakistani player only.”

Imam highlighted Azam's significant achievements, noting that he has played 250 international matches and consistently maintained high performance across all formats. He challenged Shehzad by asking if any other Pakistani player had achieved similar rankings and averages over the past three years. He stressed that selective criticism based on a limited number of matches is unfair, given Babar's overall contributions to the team.

Everybody should respect your national captain: Imam-ul-Haq

The 28-year-old added, “Babar has played 250 international matches. You have shown only 20 stats from his World Cup match. But if I ask, has anyone been in the ODI ranking for the last three years? Has anyone averaged 50 in all three formats? Then who will answer that? If it is someone else's, then show it here. I have no interest in Babar. But you should respect your national captain. Everyone has a different way of thinking. But the thing is, if you are showing 20 match stats, then I will also show 250 match stats.”

Acknowledging the frustrations of fans, Imam agreed that the Pakistan cricket team has not won ICC tournaments under Babar's captaincy and accepted this as a valid concern. But he argued that this does not diminish Babar's value and capabilities as a player. Notably, Babar managed only 90 runs in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 so far.

The left-handed batter signed off by saying, “I am not saying that I am justifying him. He did not win your ICC tournaments, and I accept that this is the problem. If he is not doing well, then you change it. But if you are making stats and trends of everything, he is playing in the T20 World Cup. He does not have that much time to come here and make a trend. So, I request that you all criticize him, but he is not giving any importance to the critics.”

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