Former pacer argues with Babar over giving credit to Sarfaraz for U19 Asia Cup glory

KARACHI: Former cricketer Tanvir Ahmed on Tuesday dismissed Babar Azam's congratulatory statement regarding Pakistan's ACC Men's U19 Asia Cup 2025 title victory, for which he credited veteran wicketkeeper batter Sarfaraz Ahmed.

The Green Shirts, after suffering a gruelling 90-run defeat at the hands of arch-rivals India in the group stage, made an astounding comeback in the final as they thwarted the same opposition by a massive 191-run margin to clinch the coveted title after a 13-year wait.

The historic triumph prompted national cricketers to flock to social media to express their appreciation, among those was star batter Babar, who lauded the emerging players for a stellar campaign and dominating the opposition in the high-stakes fixture.

Babar then went on to hail his former captain Sarfaraz, crediting his experience for "shaping up" the triumph.

"Well done, boys! Lifting the trophy after a stellar campaign and dominating the final," Babar had posted on X, formerly Twitter.

"Big credit to Saifi Bhai, whose experience shaped this triumph. Keep the hunger going," he added.

However, Babar's congratulatory statement did not sit well with Tanvir, who argued that the credit only belonged to head coach Shahid Anwar, former Head of Youth Development Azhar Ali and bowling coach Rao Iftikhar Anjum instead of Sarfaraz.

"No credit goes to [Sarfaraz Ahmed]. All of it goes to Shahid Anwar, Azhar Ali and Rao Iftikhar Anjum, as all of the hard work was done by them," Tanvir replied to Babar's post on X.

"I am disappointed that you gave all the credit to Sarfaraz," he added.

It is pertinent to mention that besides Babar, several other national cricketers, as well as cricket fans, credited Sarfaraz Ahmed for the triumph, citing his dominant record against India in the tournament finals.

For the unversed, the wicketkeeper batter captained Pakistan to the ICC Men's U19 World Cup triumph in 2006 by defeating India in the final and also to the ICC Men's Champions Trophy in 2017 with a historic 180-run defeat in the summit clash against the arch rivals.