Pakistan endured a tough outing at the recently concluded T20 World Cup, where the side was knocked out in the group stage. The Babar Azam-led side faced a shocking defeat to the United States in its opening match before falling just six runs short against arch-rivals India, who eventually became the champions with an unbeaten run in the tournament.
There was justifiably heavy criticism of Babar Azam’s leadership in Pakistan following the side’s early exit from the tournament. However, a former India star has also drawn attention now for his recent comments on Babar, with a clip of his criticism for the Pakistan skipper going viral on social media platforms.
Parthiv Patel, the former India wicketkeeper, didn’t mince his words as he spoke about Babar’s leadership, labelling him “selfish” during a conversation about another Pakistan batter, Fakhar Zaman. During an episode of YouTube show Cyrus Says, as the chat drifted to Fakhar’s lack of run-scoring over the past few years, particularly after the high of the Champions Trophy and the batter’s century against India in the final, Parthiv stated that Babar wanted to open, and thus Fakhar had no option but to come down in the order.
“Captain wanted to open, so he had to come down. If the captain is a selfish player, there’s no chance,” Parthiv said.
When Saiyami Kher, the other guest in the podcast, pulled Parthiv’s leg by stating that he was being too brave with his comments, the former India wicketkeeper casually remarked that a host of Pakistan legends have said the same.
“But I’ve said all of this. There’s nothing new in it. Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, everyone says that,” said Parthiv.
Zaman had a torrid outing in the 2024 T20 World Cup, registering scores of 11, 13, 4, and 5 in the four group matches for the side.
What’s next for Pakistan?
Currently, Pakistan have no matches scheduled until November later this year, when the side tours Australia for a limited-overs series (3 ODIs, 3 T20Is). This, justifiably, can change when the Pakistan Cricket Board confirms the date for the Test series against Bangladesh, which is likely to take place in August.