Last Update on: November 14th, 2023 at 03:22 pm
Former Pakistan cricketer Aaqib Javed lashed out at Pakistan skipper Babar Azam for Pakistan’s flop show in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Pakistan failed to reach the semi-finals and was knocked out of the tournament after winning just four out of their nine league matches.
Aaqib slammed Babar and said that Shaheen Shah Afridi should replace him as Pakistan’s captain. Aaqib cited the example of Virat Kohli as a captain and said that Babar, like Kohli, has not won any major tournament.
“They are saying ‘Oh don’t say anything to Babar’. If he is a good captain, has he won anything at any level? You can’t make a captain. It’s either he is a captain or he is not. Virat Kohli was captain for so long, but has he won anything?” said Javed on SUNO NEWS.
Aaqib Javed called Rohit Sharma a good captain because of his five IPL titles as captain. Rohit has also won two Asia Cups as captain of the Indian Cricket Team. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli has a good record as a captain but still, he was somehow not able to win any multi-nation tournament as India’s captain.
“Rohit Sharma is a good captain because he has won five titles in the IPL. Kohli has done nothing in the IPL nor with the national team. The same is true with Babar, he has not won a single trophy in PSL nor with the senior team,” added Javed.
Aaqib Javed cited Sarfaraz Ahmed’s achievements as captain and compared him to Babar Azam’s not-very-magnificent record as Pakistan’s captain. Babar Azam has never even won a PSL trophy as captain and has failed to win any multi-nation tournament as Pakistan’s captain.
“Sarfaraz won the U-19 World Cup in 2006, and then the Champions Trophy in 2017. he led Quetta to the tile in the PSL. Has Babar at any stage shown any glimpse of a good captain? Shaheen has won two titles in the PSL. We have picked the entire team from the PSL but not the captain. We must change the captain and Babar must realise has he done justice to the captaincy,” said Aqib on SUNO NEWS.
Aaqib Javed Recalls When He Was Lynched By A Mob After The 1996 World Cup
Aaqib Javed also recalled a horrific incident when he was almost lynched by a mob after returning to his country following a defeat against India in the 1996 World Cup quarter-finals. Aaqib said that the players these days are lucky as they get away with mere words of criticism. He revealed that he was hit with eggs and tomatoes after his return to Pakistan after the 1996 World Cup.
“Now, we can’t even criticize this team after their poor display in the World Cup. They are lucky. After the 1996 World Cup what happened to me was a horrible experience. We were scared when we left India,” Aaqib added.
“At the airport, even security people were not there to help us out. We were not sure how we would reach home. Stones were pelted at my house, mob tried to burn my house down. I was hit with eggs and tomatoes on the head,” recalled Javed.
Aaqib, a member of the 1996 World Cup team, said that he was scared to death after a mob tried to lynch him after his arrival in Pakistan.
“Our bus stopped. I stepped out of it and, I saw people running towards me. The bus driver started the bus. I was standing there with my bag and started running. Suddenly, a Jeep came, four people pushed me inside and I thought I was dead. Luckily, It was my cousin, who was in the police, he came there to rescue me,” said Javed.
Aaqib Javed drew a comparison to the treatment his 1996 World Cup teammates received and the treatment that Babar Azam and company are receiving after having an early exit in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
“In comparison to us, no one has done anything to this team. People are saying we criticize a lot. It’s nothing. We create a false hope before every big tournament but deep down we know that this team will finish fifth or sixth. They have proved this in the past three World Cups,” he said.
Pakistan lost four consecutive matches for the first time in World Cup history under the leadership of Babar Azam which included an embarrassing defeat against Afghanistan. Reports suggest that Babar Azam will meet the PCB chairman with regard to his captaincy future.
