Azhar Ali, former Pakistan captain and national selector, said star batter Babar Azam the most popular cricketer after Shahid Afridi. Azhar was questioned by a cricket news outlet about his supposed favoritism of Babar, who has been criticized for his captaincy. The former captain said that he had criticized his captaincy but never his batting skills.
I have criticized Babar for his captaincy, and I’m saying it again: he should have built another team in that time. However, please stop hitting,” remarked Azhar.
“If you don’t like someone, you talk about his batting. Yes, you don’t always do well in competitions, but he’s the only Pakistani player whose batting has made Pakistan famous,” he said.
Azhar said Babar is the only orthodox batsman in Pakistan who gets the crowd going, comparing him to former all-rounder Afridi, known for his hard-hitting. Pakistan has had several match-winners, but Babar has taken the world by storm.
I think Babar, a typical batsman, is the first person after Shahid bhai to be cheered by the crowd when he built his reputation in the globe and in India. Azhar Ali then reminded naysayers of Babar Azam’s accomplishments before criticizing him.
“Even though I have a good Test record, the runs he scores in all three formats suggest a weakness. Please consider that he is too good, said Azhar.
Just look at what he’s done; you’re focusing on his shortcomings. You always seek that.”