After Pakistan’s fourth consecutive loss in the ICC World Cup 2023, the former Pakistani captain and ‘Sultan of Swing,’ Wasim Akram, highlighted a significant mistake made by Babar Azam during the match against South Africa.
Wasim Akram argued on a local sports show that giving the 48th over to Mohammad Nawaz when the Proteas required just six runs off 18 balls with one wicket remaining was a mistake.
Legendary pacer @wasimakramlive points out a "massive mistake" by Pakistan captain #BabarAzam in Pakistan's one-wicket defeat against South Africa.#ASportsHD #ARYZAP #ThePavilion #CWC23 #FakhreAlam #WasimAkram #ShoaibMalik #MisbahUlHaq #MoinKhan #PAKvsSA pic.twitter.com/QIWooMMyBC
— ASports (@asportstvpk) October 27, 2023
Wasim Akram said, “When Nawaz got that over, Usama had two overs remaining at that time. He was bowling better as well. He was going to baffle the tailenders with mystery googly or leg spin.”
He added, “Yes, I agree that his first three to four overs were not up to the mark, but he [came back] took two wickets for 45 runs.”
Wasim also mentioned that the captaincy was acceptable. Babar Azam utilized his key bowlers to take wickets, but I couldn’t comprehend why Nawaz was given the ball. He seemed lacking in confidence and was delivering the ball with an awkward high-arm action.
Moreover, Wasim praised Wasim Jr., who was making his World Cup debut. He noted that the young bowler displayed tremendous courage and consistently posed challenges for the Proteas’ batters.
It should be noted that South Africa defeated Pakistan by one wicket in a nail-biting contest, marking Pakistan’s fourth consecutive loss in this World Cup.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s chances of reaching the event’s semi-finals have become uncertain because, even if they win their upcoming matches against Bangladesh, New Zealand, and England, they will still need favorable outcomes from other teams, which appears highly unlikely.
