T20 World Cup: Hafeez says Babar’s captaincy is like a ‘sacred cow’
Pakistan were defeated by India in opening match of the event
KARACHI: Former Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez has lashed out at Babar Azam’s captaincy after the Men in Green lost their opening match of the T20 World Cup against India on Sunday.
Hafeez believes that Azam is making the same mistakes when it comes to crucial matches.
"Babar Azam's captaincy is like a sacred cow that cannot be criticised. It's the third consecutive big game that we have seen flaws in Babar's captaincy, but we keep hearing that by the time he gets to the age of 32, he will learn,” Hafeez said while speaking during a show on PTV Sports.
The former captain also said that Azam should have managed the overs bowled by spinners in a better manner while questioning the decision to give Mohammad Nawaz the final over.
"During India match, from the 7th over till the 11th over, when India was struggling for even four runs an over, why did Babar not fulfill the spin quota overs in that timeframe," he added.
It must be noted that India defeated Pakistan by four wickets during the T20 World Cup 2022 match on Sunday.
An unbeaten 82 from Virat Kohli led India to a stunning last-ball win over Pakistan to supercharge their bid for a first T20 World Cup crown since 2007 in front of 90,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The world number one Indians restricted their fierce rivals to 159-8 and scraped home by four wickets after a remarkable final over, with superstar Kohli the hero.
It looked to be going badly wrong for India as they struggled to just 45-4 off 10 overs, halfway through their chase.
But Kohli and Hardik Pandya (40) launched a fightback with a century stand that left India needing 16 off the final over from a nervous Mohammad Nawaz, who peppered it with wides and no-balls to help them to their target.
Victory was critical in a group that also includes South Africa, Bangladesh and qualifiers Zimbabwe and the Netherlands, with only the top two making the semi-finals.
Pakistan’s next match is against Zimbabwe on Thursday, October 27, in Perth.
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