Babar Azam faces Criticism over his captaincy

Misbah-ul-Haq lamented Babar Azam’s leadership, attributing it to Haris Rauf’s declining bowling confidence, especially during the powerplay.

Misbah claims that Rauf had trouble getting into a groove in the first overs, giving up 18 to 20 runs and losing confidence.

“We can tell that Haris Rauf is having trouble every time he receives the ball to bowl in the powerplay. He lacks self-assurance and gives up 18 to 20 runs in each over. We also discussed how New Zealand brings Mitchell Santner in the eighth or ninth over after the most recent game against Australia. Since it is the final over of the powerplay, the batsmen try to take a chance in this attacking option. It’s a gamble; you might also get out.

“If the captain had handed the ball after the powerplay, when there are four fielders in the deep, that would have been good for Haris’s confidence. He can bowl his bouncers after that. He will have a sweeper cover if he bowls outside the off stump short of length. He is currently receiving four boundaries in the first over, which ends his participation in the game.

“We are aware of Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran’s proficiency with fast bowling. They might have been in trouble if we had brought the spinners in earlier and made them attack, added Misbah.

Shoaib Malik intervened, pointing out the spin team’s difficulties and criticizing the captain’s lack of creative thinking.

I apologize for interrupting Misbah bhai! Our spin division is also having trouble. Our commander doesn’t think creatively. If you don’t give him the ball, Saud Shakeel, who is present, can bowl.

Misbah agreed with Malik and gave examples of times when captain Babar Azam chose off-spinner Iftikhar over left-arm spinner Saud in circumstances where the latter’s spin could have been more useful.

Misbah thought back to Saud’s victory over England in England, where he made breakthroughs. He also brought up a spell in which Saud was struck by Harry Brook for six boundaries, but he maintained that this shouldn’t stop people from using him in the future.

Razzaq accuses Babar of influencing Abdullah’s ‘aggressive’ batting style

Abdul Razzaq has blamed Babar Azam, claiming that Abdullah Shafique batted aggressively when he was at the crease but changed his batting style noticeably when Babar came to bat.

Abdul Razzaq, a former Pakistan cricketer, has blamed Babar Azam, claiming that Abdullah Shafique played fiercely when he was at the crease but changed his batting style noticeably when Babar came to bat.

Speaking on a local TV station, Razzaq asserted that Abdullah received instructions from Babar to modify his violent demeanor.

“When Abdullah Shafique was on the field, he played aggressively, but when Babar stepped up to the plate, he stopped taking shots, indicating that he had been given instructions not to hit the shot. He made an attempt to stop the ball or make a shoddy shot. He did not get out on a wicket-taking ball, and it appeared that he was an inexperienced player. This means that anytime the captain is on the crease the strike rate of other players is 78 to 80. It indicates that he was instructed to play in that manner, Razzaq stated.

A target of 270 against some opponents is insufficient, according to Razzaq, who also raised concern about the team’s overall plan, adding that the strategy should have been to shoot for a score of approximately 350.

In their World Cup match on Monday in Chennai, Pakistan gave Afghanistan a 283-run mark, which they successfully chased down with eight wickets in hand.

It’s not cricket, folks. In opposition to these clubs, you are scoring 270; your goal should be about 350. You ought to have taken this action. If Babar doesn’t understand leadership, what are the members of management doing, as they claim? They ought to assist him. What stats are they writing, Razzaq continued.

After Pakistan’s defeat against Afghanistan, Wasim Akram criticizes their level of fitness

Wasim Akram expressed his anger in no uncertain terms after Afghanistan defeated Pakistan by eight wickets on Monday in the ICC World Cup.

On Monday in Chennai, Afghanistan defeated Pakistan by an eight-wicket margin.

Wasim Akram, a former Pakistani bowler, was frank in his expression of anger. He advised the team to reflect on their fielding performance in particular and questioned the team’s level of fitness.

On Monday in Chennai, Afghanistan defeated Pakistan by eight wickets in the ICC World Cup.

Wasim Akram, a former Pakistani bowler, didn’t hold back when venting his anger. He condemned the team’s level of fitness, especially in light of their fielding performance, and he advised them to reflect.

While speaking on a local sports channel, Akram underlined that fitness plays a crucial role in fielding and pointed out the need for the players to undergo fitness tests regularly, indicating that certain players seemed to be consuming excessive amounts of mutton.

“Today was embarrassing. It takes a significant loss of wickets to reach 280-plus. No matter if the pitch is wet, consider the fielding and fitness levels. Since three weeks ago, we’ve been yelling that these guys haven’t had a fitness test in the previous two years. If I begin calling out names, their faces will fall. It appears that these men consume 8 kilograms of mutton each day. Should tests not be conducted,” remarked Akram.

Akram emphasized the value of establishing clear standards for player fitness and said that Misbah-ul-Haq’s coaching stint saw success with the application of such standards.

“You guys are playing for your nation and getting paid professionally. There must be a set of requirements. When Misbah was the coach, he had such standard. Players disliked him, but it was effective. Fitness is key in fielding, and that’s where we fall short. Now that we’ve arrived at that point, we will pray for ifs and buts to occur,” he continued.

The 57-year-old voiced disappointment at the frequent management and coaching staff changes and lambasted the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for making snap judgments.

“Man, come on! We were so happy to be No. We had one chairman for the previous six to eight months. And as soon as he [Najam Sethi] joined the team for three to four months, he immediately overhauled the coaching staff. Last year, we made it to the final. But he appeared out of nowhere and changed the course of events,” Akram added.

A former pacer also brought up the demolition of the Wasim Khan and Ehsan Mani-built high-performance facility, raising concerns about the necessity for unneeded modifications and arguing in favor of system stability.

“Wasim Khan and Ehsan Mani had put in a lot of effort to assemble the high-performance center and construct a system. That was altered as well, becoming a National Coaching Center. There haven’t been any camps there in 8 months. Why must you make adjustments that are not necessary? Simply leave it, he advised.

Reason given by Gautam Gambhir for Pakistan’s defeat vs Afghanistan

Gambhir didn’t hold back as he identified three crucial areas where the Men in Green battled and ultimately lost.

In a key 2023 World Cup match on Monday in Chennai, former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir offered his thoughts on Pakistan’s recent defeat to Afghanistan.

Gambhir was blunt in a recent interview with Star Sports as he identified three crucial areas where the Men in Green faltered and fell short.

The former opening batsman focused his initial remarks on Pakistan’s persistent fielding issues, which he believes have persisted since the Asia Cup.

“We discussed Pakistan’s fielding during the Asia Cup as well. In contrast to batting and bowling, fielding cannot suffer from a bad day. Since the Asia Cup, this has been occurring, and the department’s performance has not changed. The most unexceptional fielding squad in this World Cup, in my opinion, is Pakistan, said Gautam.

The second issue brought up by the 42-year-old was Pakistan’s inability to handle spin bowling.

He noted how none of the three spinners managed to take a single wicket on a field that was favorable to spinners.

“They are having trouble with spin bowling. None of the three spinners were able to take a single wicket on this track since there was no dew and the spinners had assistance. The second issue is that, he continued.

The third issue on the left-hand batter’s mind was Pakistan’s batting order.

The batting of Pakistan is the third issue. The top five hitters in Pakistan all fit into similar categories. Apart from Iftikhar Ahmed, they don’t have a batter who can play aggressively, according to Gambhir.

Gambhir also argued that the Men in Green’s batting needs to be more aggressive and diverse to thrive in modern cricket.

“Cricket has changed. Cricket today is not what it was in the 1990s or in 2011, when you could score 270 or 280 runs and assume that your bowling would hold up. You will need to play proactive and offensive cricket with two new balls, flat wickets, and five fielders inside the circle,” he said