Last Update on: November 8th, 2023 at 05:30 pm
Former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary talked about Babar Azam’s performance as a batter and a captain in the ICC World Cup 2023. He said that had the same team been captained by MS Dhoni, he would’ve taken this team on a winning streak.
Babar Azam as a leader has come under scrutiny after Pakistan’s performance in the ICC World Cup 2023. The Men in Green are having an average tournament and things aren’t easy for them. They suffered disappointing losses against India, Australia, Afghanistan, and South Africa, which hampered their position in the table.
Pakistan’s qualification for the semi-final will depend on the results of New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Ahead of the tournament, they were touted as hot favourites but things didn’t go the way they wanted.
Babar Azam as a batter and as a leader hasn’t been impressive and there have been many reports that he will be sacked as the captain of the team after the World Cup. As a player, he hasn’t played well and has managed just three half-centuries.
Manoj Tiwary believes that Babar Azam could’ve done better and he needs to be proactive. He added that the skipper needs to think out of the box and should modify his plans according to the situation of the game. Speaking to a local news channel, he explained (as quoted by Cricket Pakistan):
“I feel that Babar could have done better as captain, he needs to be proactive and think one step ahead, for example how he continued with Shadab’s bowling example despite seeing that he was struggling to find his rhythm.
I think it is better to remove the struggling bowler if he is not able to deliver properly. It is important to have a proactive captain, Babar needs to think outside of the box. He should be prepared to modify his plans according to match situation.”
ENG vs PAK: Give same Pakistan team under the leadership of MS Dhoni, I challenge that this team will be on a winning streak – Manoj Tiwary
Manoj Tiwary further highlighted MS Dhoni’s prowess as a captain, stating that he will take the Pakistan team to glory. He hailed Babar Azam as a great player, saying that blaming him alone for the team’s poor performance is unfair. He added:
“At times you need to go against your initial plans when the situation on the field is different. Give same Pakistan team under leadership of MS Dhoni, I challenge that this team will be on a winning streak. Babar is a great player under immense pressure. Blaming him alone for Pakistan’s results is unfair. He has the skills to be among the legends like Sachin Tendulkar or Rohit Sharma. He is undoubtedly Pakistan’s top batter of this era.”
Pakistan will next be seen in action when they will take on England in the do-or-die clash on Saturday (11th November).
