PAK vs CAN: "If they don't have a role in a chase..." - Shoaib Malik destroys Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan for failure vs India

Former Pakistan allrounder Shoaib Malik has slammed Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan for their failure with the bat against India in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

After Babar won the toss and opted to bowl first, his decision was totally justified by his bowlers. The Men in Green bowled out India for just 119 runs. India were on 89 for 3 at one stage before suffering a collapse and getting all out for 119. Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf led Pakistan's charge with the ball by taking three wickets each.

The onus was on Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan to give the team a good start with the bat in the low-scoring game. At a venue where batters have found it tough to do well in the ongoing tournament, the experienced duo of Babar and Rizwan were expected to ensure Pakistan continued to remain in the driver's seat after the bowlers' fine effort.

However, they could not stitch together a big stand for the first wicket. Rizwan was dropped in the very third over before Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Babar for 13 runs in the 5th over. Rizwan, on the other hand, went on to score 31 runs off 44 balls and was castled by Bumrah in the 15th over while trying to play a wild shot.

Shoaib Malik slams Babar and Rizwan:

Pakistan went on to suffer an inexplicable collapse after Rizwan's departure in the 15th over. They lost four wickets in quick succession to find themselves reeling at 102 for 7 from 80 for 3. India eventually restricted Pakistan to 113 for 7 and won the game by 6 runs.

Shoaib Malik has come down hard on Babar and Rizwan after they failed to take Pakistan over the line in the low-scoring game. The former allrounder said that the situation was ideal for both Babar and Rizwan to take their time and score big for the team. He also criticized Rizwan for his poor shot to throw away his wicket.

"If Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan don't have a role in a chase of 120 then when is their role? This is common sense because they play conventional cricket. Everyone talks about their strike rate so this was the ideal platform for them," Shoaib Malik told Ten Sports.

"It was such a big match that all their previous bad run would have been washed away, and they would have come out of it strongly. I didn't understand that shot (from Rizwan).

"They brought back their main bowler to pick up a wicket, and he (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 added.

With two defeats in two games, Pakistan are on the verge of getting knocked out of the T20 World Cup. Even if they go on to win their remaining two games, their chance of progressing to the Super 8s is extremely low.