Kapil Dev comes in support of Babar Azam, says 'He made Pakistan number one side'
Former Indian skipper Kapil Dev backs Pakistan captain Babar Azam for poor show in ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
Pakistan’s performance became a hot topic in the cricket world. Babar Azam’s led side performed below par, and they failed to qualify for the semi-finals round of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Before the tournament, Pakistan were among the favourites to qualify for the semi-finals and finish at the top, but Pakistan’s four consecutive losses made a huge impact on their campaign. Pakistan finished 5th in the points table with only 8 points.
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Pakistan skipper Babar Azam faced a lot of criticism back home. Babar’s leadership is also in question, as several Pakistani cricketers are demanding his resignation from limited-overs cricket. This is the second consecutive time Pakistan missed out on World Cup semi-finals qualification narrowly in the mega event. Babar Azam has now found great support in India’s 1983 World Cup-winning skipper, Kapil Dev.
Kapil Dev bats for Babar Azam
Former Indian all-rounder Kapil Dev came out to defend Pakistan skipper Babar Azam. Kapil Dev batted for Babar and said that he was the same captain who made Pakistan’s No. 1 ranked team in the ODI format. Kapil said, “Today you will say Babar is not performing well because you are seeing the current situation. But the same captain made Pakistan the number-one team six months ago.”
India’s 1983 World Cup winner Kapil Dev also added, “When someone makes zero, 99% of people will say drop him and will back an ordinary player who scores a century, saying he is the next superstar, so don’t go with current performances. Look at how he has approached the game; how he plays in tough situations is how a player should be judged rather than one or two low scores.” Babar Azam failed to perform with the bat as well in the World Cup 2023.
As per a few Pakistani media reports, Babar Azam is likely to be sacked as Pakistan’s skipper in the coming days, and Shaheen Afridi or Shadab Khan is likely to replace him as ODI and T20I skipper. Pakistan performed magnificently in the T20 World Cup 2021 in the UAE and 2022 in Australia. Pakistan also became the No. 1 ODI-ranked team in the ICC ODI Rankings. Pakistan’s next assignment will be in Australia starting next month.
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