Virat Kohli is at No.8...: Babar Azam defended by Tanvir Ahmed in explosive rant

By Ankitjit Singh

Published - 29 Aug 2024, 04:47 PM | Updated - 30 Aug 2024, 11:13 AM

Tanvir Ahmed and Babar Azam
Tanvir Ahmed and Babar Azam {PC:X}

Former Pakistan National Cricket Team pacer Tanvir Ahmed came out in favor of Babar Azam after the batter faced a lot of criticism for getting dropped in the ICC Test rankings. He lashed out at all the critics and said that no one can be in the Top 10 rankings in all three formats.

Babar has been under the scanner for a while now. The Pakistan National Cricket Team batter is witnessing a downfall in his career as he has been struggling to score runs for the team, especially in the longest format of the game. His poor form has seen him facing a lot of criticism.

In the recently concluded first Test against the Bangladesh National Cricket Team, Babar struggled to get going, and he came under more scanner. He bagged a duck in the first innings of the Test against Rawalpindi and then couldn't make a bigger impact in the second innings as well.

It was expected that Babar would silence his critics in the second innings but it wasn't the case. The batter slammed 22 runs off 50 balls with the help of three boundaries. His poor outing saw the team losing the game even after being in the winning position. He also was dropped from 3rd position to 9th in the ICC Test rankings.

With Babar facing a lot of criticism, Tanvir Ahmed came out in his favor and highlighted that even the greatest, Virat Kohli, is at No.8 in the Test rankings. He lashed out at the criticism, saying that those who call Pakistan batters selfish have never held the bat in their hand. Taking to his Twitter account, he explained:

"ICC test champion ranking look at virat kholi ranking No 8 or humare media walain boltey hain babar azam player he nahi ha." (Look at Virat Kohli's ranking, No. 8, and our media says Babar is not a big player).

"Jo log babar azam ko bolted hain woh selfish players ha apney liye khalifa ha main challenge karta hon koi bhi player selfish Mikhail kar bhi all three ICC ranking par Jaye main TV Channels par beta chor donga lekin bolta kon ha jis ney kabhi bat nahi parka."

"(Those who say Babar is selfish player and plays only for himself, I challenge those people to come in ICC rankings, they can be selfish. If that happens I will stop sitting on TV shows but unfortunately, people who criticize Babar have never held the bat)."

Tanvir Ahmed also expressed his confidence in Babar, saying that he is sure that the batter will be back in the top three of the ICC Test rankings. He explained:

"ICC ranking main 9 position par agaya tou kia howa phir top 3 par ajaounga ga." (No problem, if Babar has attainted 9th rank in Test rankings, he will be back in top 3).

Social media par dekh kar aesa lagta ha jaese Pakistan cricket sirf Babar Azam ney he kharab ki ha - Tanvir Ahmed

Tanvir Ahmed further stated that people, without any reason, slam Babar for the downfall of the Pakistan National Cricket Team. He added that it is the cricket board who is responsible for the poor performances. He added:

"Social media par dekh kar aesa lagta ha jaese pakistan cricket sirf babar azam ney he kharab ki ha board ka tou koi kasoor nahi ha kuch khuda ka khoof karo ager paise kamaney ka shok ha tou kuch babar ki tareef bhi karain na k sirf burai kar kay."

"(When you open social media, it looks like Babar Azam is the main culprit behind Pakistan's poor performances and PCB has nothing to do with it. If they are keen to earn money, they can earn it by praising Babar and not only by criticizing him)."

Tanvir Ahmed further pointed out Babar's rank in T20Is and ODIs, saying that despite not being the T20 specialist, he is in the top 5 in the shortest format. He also stressed that had he been selfish, he wouldn't have been the no.1 ranked ODI batter. He added:

"Look babar azam ICC t20 Ranking NO 5 woh t20 ka specialist bhi nahi ha phir bhi top 5 par ha sharam ati ha mujhe un logon par jo boltey hain babar azam player he nahi ha."

"(Despite not being the T20 specialist, Babar is the No.5 ranked T20I batter. I feel ashamed for those people who say Babar is not a good player)."

"Dekho ankhain khol kar ODi ranking jis ko nahi khailta ata woh yehan tak sari zindage nahi pohanch sakta ager koi player selfish bhi khailta ha." (Open your eyes and see the ODI rankings, how someone who is selfish and doesn't know how to play can be at the top)."

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Pakistan national cricket team Tanvir Ahmed Babar Azam

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