Former Pakistan captain and ‘Sultan of Swing’, Wasim Akram has expressed the view that Babar Azam’s batting in the ICC World Cup 2023 was impacted by the pressure of leading the side.
In a conversation on a local sports channel, Wasim Akram commented that Babar Azam needs to set aside thoughts of captaincy when he is at the batting crease.
Wasim Akram said, “The captaincy pressure has had an effect on him and he looked stressed, during the Asia Cup as well as in the World Cup.”
He added, “Captaincy pressure will always be there but when he is in the middle as a batter, he must focus there and how to get runs.”
Misbah-ul-Haq was also present on that show, where he discussed the blame for the disappointing World Cup campaign, emphasizing that it shouldn’t solely fall on Babar. According to him, it was anticipated for Babar to be one of the top two or three run scorers in India.
Misbah pointed out that all resources, including fast bowlers, seemed ineffective. He highlighted the issue of the premier fast bowler only managing to take three wickets with the new ball, and the spinners not delivering at all. In his view, the responsibility should not be placed solely on Babar.
Pakistan’s performance in the current World Cup fell short of securing a spot in the top four. The Men in Green experienced a historic setback, losing five of their league games, marking the first instance in a single World Cup edition the team has lost this many games. This disappointing run included four consecutive losses, leading them to finish fifth in the points table.
