PAK vs SA: Babar Azam Facing Captaincy Pressure? Pakistan Skipper Responds

Pakistan National Cricket Team captain Babar Azam has given an honest reply on whether he is facing the pressure of captaining the side in all three formats of the game.

Babar Azam’s position as skipper has come under scrutiny following Pakistan’s poor performance in the ongoing edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup.

The Men In Green started their campaign by registering comprehensive wins over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka but after that, they faced crushing defeats at the hands of India, Australia, and Afghanistan.

The defeat against the Hashmatullah Shahidi-led side by 8 wickets at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai on Monday, October 23, led to the Men In Green facing heavy criticism from the former cricketers with many suggesting the sacking of skipper Babar Azam.

After the defeat to Afghanistan, Babar Azam was asked whether he was facing the captaincy pressure.

“Your emotions are telling us that you are sad just like the whole nation is sad. What message would you give to the crores [millions] of people in Pakistan who are following this team? The question from this team is incomplete, do they have any expectations? And the additional burden of the captaincy, is it affecting your individual performance?

“What do you think about the team’s incomplete performance and the captain’s extra weight?” a reporter asked Babar Azam, as quoted by NDTV.

As far as captaincy is concerned, I don’t have much pressure – Babar Azam

Responding to the question, Babar Azam said that they will try to win the rest of the matches by overcoming their mistakes. He further spoke about his captaincy, saying that the leadership role doesn’t put any pressure on him.

“You never know. It’s cricket. Anything can happen. We will try to play our best cricket till the end. There are a lot of matches left, we will try to win all the matches. We will try to overcome our mistakes.

“As far as captaincy is concerned, I don’t have much pressure on me or on my batting. I try to give my best in batting. I am 100% and I have been doing that. During fielding, I think about captaincy, and during batting I just think about the batting. How I should run and how I should run for the team.”

Pakistan will be next seen in action on Friday, October 27, at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai when they lock horns with dominant South Africa.