Moin Khan said that Babar Azam “looked scared” and the same reflected in other players.© AFP
Former Pakistan captain Moin Khan tore into current skipper Babar Azam following the defeat to India in their World Cup match on Saturday. India outplayed Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium to continue their winning run in the tournament. After being put into bat, Pakistan were 155/2 at one stage, but crumbled to 191 all out. Babar scored 50 (58) while Mohammad Rizwan chipped in with a 69-ball 49. While analysing the match, Moin said that Babar “looked scared” and the same reflected in the body language of other players.
“Babar’s batting in terms of intent, as captain, it was not his natural game. He took 58 balls. When he came to the crease, he was in a settled pitch and situation when the first wicket fell at 41. He should’ve maintained the flow a bit and attacked slightly. Ye to intent hota hain a pura reflect karta hai team ke andar (The intent reflects within the team). Aapka kaptaan jab dara hua nazar ayega, nahi khelega to ladke bhi phir wese hi react karte hain (If you captain is afraid to play his shots, boys will also react similarly),” Moin said on A Sports.
“They looked under pressure, and clearly, because of this, they didn’t execute proper shots. Aap pehle se dare hue honge yaar mai shots khelunga to out na ho jaun(You are afraid whether you’ll get out while playing the shots). I didn’t see intent from any batters,” he added.
Veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik also questioned the leadership of Babar, saying that he doesn’t have plan B and C against top-ranked teams.
“Babar Azam has been running the show, this is his responsibility. Sit with the players. There should be B and C plans. When you play big teams, they counterattack your plan A, and you don’t have an answer,” Malik said during the same discussion.
India’s win over Pakistan took them to the top of the World 2023 Cup standings.
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