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Afghanistan staged one of the biggest upsets of cricket when they shocked Pakistan by eight wickets in their ODI World Cup couple on October 23, Monday to take the cricketing world by storm.
Afghanistan easily overhauled a Pakistan's competitive total of 282/7 with six balls to spare.
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam did show some form with his 74 off 92 but to only see his side going down to Afghanistan. And since then Babar has suffered a barrage of attacks from former Pakistani players for team's continuous flop show in the ODI World Cup 2023.
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Captain's strategies often play a pivotal role in the team's performance in the world of cricket. This sentiment came to the fore when former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi expressed his disappointment over Babar's captaincy during the World Cup 2023 match against Afghanistan, held at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Stellar half-centuries by Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, and Rahmat Shah never let Pakistan make a comeback in the game.
However, it's not just this single defeat that has caught the public's attention. Babar found himself in the eye of a storm, facing mounting criticism for the team's consecutive losses in the World Cup. This string of defeats has considerably narrowed Pakistan's prospects of progressing to the semifinals.
Shahid Afridi did not mince his words when it came to critiquing Babar's leadership approach. Emphasising the significance of aggressive field placements to mount pressure on the batting side, he said, "It is the captain's job to apply pressure, a pacer is bowling and there is no slip? Four are required on 12 balls and you've taken backward point? Apply pressure. What do the Australians do? They take one to two wickets and then put all of their players in the circle to apply pressure, like they did against Pakistan,” as quoted in a local media outlet.
Driving home his point about the ups and downs that come with leading a national side, Afridi further stated, "Captaining your national side is a matter of honour, but it is not a bed of roses. When you do good, everyone praises you and when you don't, everyone blames you as well as the head coach."
While Pakistan had a promising start to their World Cup campaign with victories over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka, their recent losses have led to their current fifth position in the points table. Pakistan have garnered a total of four points with a net run rate of -0.400.
Now, the 'Men in Green' will be gearing up to reverse their fortunes and redeem themselves in their next clash against South Africa, scheduled for October 27 at Chepauk.
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