Legendary Indian cricketer Kris Srikkanth has been extremely critical of Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam’s performance in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. Following Pakistan’s exit from the tournament, Srikkanth expressed his opinion that Babar’s approach, which he referred to as ‘tuk-tuking,’ does not have a place in T20 cricket. He even suggested that Babar should consider leaving the shortest format of the sport.
Babar Azam’s Struggle in T20 Cricket
Despite being one of the leading run-scorers in T20Is, Babar’s strike rate has been a point of concern. Srikkanth pointed out that Babar’s strike rate hovers around 112-115, which is significantly lower than what is expected in T20 cricket. Comparing him to players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Srikkanth emphasized that Babar’s slow approach is detrimental to the team’s success.
Babar’s prospects of regaining the Test captaincy seem bleak after Pakistan’s disappointing T20 World Cup campaign. Shan Masood is set to retain the Test captaincy for the upcoming red-ball series against Bangladesh. The board’s disappointment in Babar’s leadership abilities has been evident, especially after the T20 World Cup fiasco. Former Australian pacer Jason Gillespie will take charge as Pakistan’s red-ball head coach during the Bangladesh Series.
If you ever feel useless remember than Pakistan under Babar Azam got kicked out of Group Stage of
– T20 WC 2024 even after having players with most CPL experience
– Asia Cup 2023 even after playing LPL, ODI & Test series in SL before the event
– WC 2023 even after claiming… pic.twitter.com/Ak0Hv9jUCR
— Johns (@JohnyBravo183) June 16, 2024
A Series of Captaincy Changes
Babar’s journey as captain has been tumultuous. After stepping down from captaincy in all formats following last year’s ODI World Cup, he was succeeded by Shan Masood in Tests and Shaheen Afridi in T20Is. However, Shaheen’s brief stint as captain ended abruptly, and Babar Azam was reinstated as the white-ball skipper. Unfortunately, Pakistan’s performance in the T20 World Cup fell short of expectations, leading to further scrutiny of Babar’s leadership.
While Babar Azam remains a talented batsman, the debate over his suitability for T20 cricket continues. Srikkanth’s candid remarks have sparked discussions about Babar’s role in the team and the need for a more aggressive approach in the shortest format of the game.
