In a recent interaction with Star Sports, former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif weighed in on the capabilities of Pakistan cricket captain, Babar Azam, particularly in contrast with Indian batting stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Kaif's remarks were triggered by Azam's underwhelming performance against Bangladesh in Kolkata on 31 October.
Notably, in a total of seven matches World Cup matches played so far, Babar has amassed just 216 runs at an average of 30.85 riding on three fifties. His weakness against spinners has once again been exposed as Colin Ackermann, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Noor Ahmad, Tabraiz Shamsi and Adam Zampa have combined to trap Babar five times in the ongoing ODI World Cup.
Babar yet again faltered in the World Cup match against Bangladesh on October 31, Tuesday as he could only score just nine off 16 balls before Mehidy Hasan gave him his marching orders. However, Pakistan won the match by seven wickets but Babar's struggle with the bat was once again on display.
Discussing Babar's approach to the game, Kaif stated,"I will not judge him based on this knock because he ran after the run rate. He had to finish the game early. So that big shot came. But overall his form is not good. He is scoring fifties and sixties but the hundred hasn't come."
Kaif added, "The dismissal shows that when he changes gears, it is not his game. When he tries to hit balls out of the boundary, he gets caught on the line. It is not his strength, he is a touch player. If you ask him to score runs at a fast pace after 60 balls, he probably does not have the ability that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have."
Pakistan's performance in the tournament has been shoddy so far, with the team facing consecutive losses before finally clinching a win against Bangladesh in Kolkata, thereby keeping their semi-final hopes afloat.
Meanwhile, another former star cricketer Irfan Pathan joined the conversation, pointing out areas where Babar needs improvement. Pathan said, "In modern-day cricket, if Babar Azam has to become a great player, especially in white-ball cricket, he has generally scored runs at a good pace but he has got out to an off-spinner quite a few times - here also he got out to an off-spinner, he will have to improve his strike rate."
Pathan went on to differentiate the cricketing conditions in Pakistan from international venues, suggesting that Azam needs to adapt. "Nearly 300-350 runs are being scored in modern-day cricket, especially in multi-nation tournaments. Playing in Pakistan, where you get extremely flat pitches, is different. When you come out, you will get slight and more spin at times, so your strike rate needs to improve," the former India all-rounder added.
Pakistan will next face New Zealand in a do-or-die World Cup clash against New Zealand on November 4 and look to win the tie to keep their semifinal hopes alive.
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