Pakistan have sealed their place in the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup after a comfortable win over Namibia, becoming the final team to qualify. However, the victory did little to silence the growing debate around former captain Babar Azam, whose lean run with the bat has once again come under scrutiny.Babar has managed just 66 runs in three matches and has struggled to make an impact. During the Namibia game, controversy surfaced when he did not come out to bat despite being padded up for a long period. It also appeared that skipper Salman Ali Agha was not entirely pleased with the call.
Former Pakistan batter and selector Mohammad Yousuf has now openly criticised Babar, revealing that he had earlier recommended resting the batter during his tenure as selector.“I’ve been saying this for 2-3 years that Babar’s technique has gone for a toss. I’ve been hearing that he is out-of-form, but he is not. A player can only be out-of-form for two to three series and he has not scored runs for the past two-three years. The moment I suggested resting Babar, everyone suddenly turned against me. I had to resign because of this. He was eventually dropped a couple of series later,” Yousuf said on the ‘How Does It Work?’ podcast.He further questioned the emphasis placed on mentality over skill. “The churan of mindset is being sold very wrongly. Until you don’t have the skill, the mind can’t do anything. If you don’t have the skill, what will the mind do?” he added.Yousuf also compared Babar to legends of a previous era, placing them on a different pedestal. “Inzy Bhai and Saeed Bhai’s level can’t be matched. They can’t be matched. They were very big players. Zaheer Abbas…. These four players were of different categories and levels. Babar is nothing in front of them.”Despite the noise, Pakistan now shift focus to the Super 8 stage, where they have been placed in Group 2 alongside England cricket team, New Zealand cricket team and Sri Lanka cricket team.
Pakistan Super 8 Fixtures
| Team | Date | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 21 Feb | 7pm | R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo |
| England | 24 Feb | 7pm | Pallekele |
| Sri Lanka | 28 Feb | 7pm | Pallekele |
Pakistan will begin their Super 8 campaign against New Zealand on 21 February in Colombo, followed by crucial clashes against England and Sri Lanka in Pallekele.
