Pakistan captain Babar Azam has faced a ton of criticism of late for his leadership and approach with the bat, particularly in the shortest format of the game. Interestingly, the Pakistan superstar has also received flak because of his lack of communication skills in English. Former Men in Green speedster Shoaib Akhtar has been one of Babar's biggest critiques when it comes to performances on the pitch or interactions with the media. The 'Rawalpindi Express had earlier said that Babar will never become a 'brand' because of his lack of communication skills.
Amidst growing criticism, Shan Masood has come to Babar's defence and made a huge statement by saying that players are ready to give their lives for captain Babar while also quashing all rumours about a rift in the Pakistan dressing room.
"We were ready to give our lives when Sarfaraz Ahmed was our captain, and now we are ready to give our lives for Babar Azam," the Pakistan batter told a local channel.
"We watch a lot of news on criticism of the team but we don't get bothered by them as our mutual goal is to play for our country," he added.
Under Babar's leadership, Pakistan performed poorly in Tests at home last year while they also struggled in the red-ball series against New Zealand earlier in the year. Apart from his captaincy, the Pakistan superstar has also received a lot of criticism for his batting approach, which many believe is not suitable for the shortest format of the game and increases pressure on the batters in the middle order.
Babar led Pakistan to the 2022 T20 World Cup final in Australia but the Men in Green faltered in the final against England. Having said that, the result could have been different had star pacer Shaheen Afridi not suffered an injury during the game.
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