“Shouldn’t Criticise Babar Azam’s Captaincy”: Mohammad Hafeez Takes U-Turn After ‘Sacred Cow’ Comment

Babar Azam’s Pakistan has won only 2 of 4 matches in T20 WC 2022© AFP

The T20 World Cup 2020 hasn’t seen Pakistan skipper Babar Azam performing at his best. Criticism from the Pakistan cricketing spectrum has been thick and heavy, with fans, former cricketers and journalists speaking critically of Babar’s captaincy. Some even asked for Babar to be given more time to prove himself as a skipper. On such suggestions, Mohammad Hafeez called Babar’s leadership “sacred cow” that can’t be criticised. But now, he has taken a dramatic u-turn.

Hafeez, in a chat with a Pakistani news channel, lauded Babar for the efforts he is putting in, while also calling the criticism of his captaincy unwarranted.

“He (Babar) never led a side in domestic cricket for this long. He has been given this role and has been trying his best. All he needs is support and the team management should be there to stand by him. It is easy to sit outside and criticise player but very difficult to rectify those mistakes. Babar is a fantastic player and and a ‘product’ that people want to see. If he makes a few mistakes in captaincy, his teammates should help him cover up. The supporting staff and the higher management of the Pakistan Cricket Board are also there and this is the kind of support any captain needs.

My prayers are for Babar, he is a great player and I feel his captaincy shouldn’t be subjected to criticism.

Earlier, Hafeez himself had criticised the manner in which Babar leads his team.

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“Babar Azam’s captaincy is like a sacred cow that cannot be criticized. It’s the third consecutive big game that we are seeing flaws in Babar captaincy, but we keep hearing that by the time he gets to the age of 32 he will learn,” Hafeez himself had said on a TV channel.

Babar would look to lead Pakistan to a victory in the team’s final group game of the T20 World Cup 2022. Whether Pakistan will go through to the semi-finals or not, is yet to be understood.

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