Former Pakistan cricket captain, Rashid Latif has ignited a firestorm of debate with his recent comments. Latif believes current captain Babar Azam struggles under pressure and needs to learn from experienced Indian batters like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. This criticism comes at a crucial time, just days before the highly anticipated clash between India and Pakistan in the ongoing T20 World Cup. The June 9th match in New York will be the first encounter between the arch-rivals this year. Interestingly, it was under Azam's leadership that Pakistan secured a historic victory against India in the 2021 T20 World Cup, crushing them by 10 wickets. But since then Pakistan couldn't register a single win over India as they fell short against Men in Blue in both the 2022 T20 World Cup and the 2023 ODI World Cup. This string of losses positions Pakistan as the underdog heading into their upcoming clash in New York. The pressure is high, and as Latif emphasises, Babar Azam's leadership will be crucial.
Babar Azam has to learn how to carry pressure: Rashid Latif
“The focus is on the game on June 9 against India. Babar (Pakistan captain) will be under a lot of pressure because of the game against India rather than performing in the World Cup,” Latif told PTI.
"But he has to learn to carry pressure, he should learn that from Virat and Rohit. They know how to carry the game. As a batter Babar is one of the best but as a captain and leader, there's a lot that he needs to learn," Latif added.
Rashid Latif adds another layer to the debate surrounding Babar Azam's leadership. He highlights a key difference between Azam and Indian captain Virat Kohli. Latif suggests that unlike Kohli, Azam lacks a consistent group of batters who can consistently perform alongside him. While there are reliable players like Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman, the rest of the Pakistani batting lineup seems unable to consistently complement their captain's efforts. This lack of dependable support puts additional pressure on Azam's shoulders, potentially impacting his performance under pressure.
"Babar is a great player but doesn't have a lot of players to support him. Virat definitely has an advantage because the players are around him. But Pakistan lacks that cushion. Babar only has Rizwan and occasionally, the support of Fakhar Zaman. Babar's quality is way above his teammates and I think this acts as a disadvantage for him," Latif concluded.
Pakistan's World Cup journey begins on Thursday (June 6th) as they face co-hosts USA. India, meanwhile, have already gotten their campaign off to a strong start, securing a convincing 8-wicket victory against Ireland in their opening match.
Pakistan's T20 World Cup squad
Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan
India's T20 World Cup squad
Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj
Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan
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