Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has acknowledged that Babar Azam has shown deficiencies as a batter and as a captain but he emphasised that the 29-year-old is not solely responsible for Pakistan's subpar performance in the 2023 World Cup.
Babar Azam has scored 207 runs with an average of 34.50 and a strike rate of 79.00 in six World Cup matches. As a captain, he has failed to motivate his team and has often adopted a defensive approach, allowing the opposition to escape from difficult situations on numerous occasions.
Pakistan is currently competing against South Africa in Chennai. The Pakistani team has lost their last three matches and now finds themselves in a situation where they must win to maintain their chances of advancing to the semi-finals.
"If the match is on a good pitch and South Africa get to bat first and start hitting, Pakistan's situation can become slightly bad. There is also a different atmosphere in Pakistan. There are reports from their board that they are standing with them but if you have to say that, it means you are not," Aakash Chopra said in a video shared on his YouTube channel.
Aakash also observed the uncertain atmosphere in Pakistan, with statements from the cricket board seemingly hinting at the possibility of removing Babar Azam as the captain of the team.
"From their statements, it seems like preparations have been made to remove Babar Azam. There is no doubt that his captaincy has been ordinary, his form has also been very ordinary but he is not the only problem. You are not losing because of him. There are a lot of other reasons as well."
Chopra further mentioned that it would be quite surprising if Pakistan manages to defeat South Africa. He explained that the performance trends of these two teams seem to be heading in opposite directions. Nonetheless, he did acknowledge that the tournament has been characterised by unexpected upsets and surprising victories.
- Babar Azam