The Pakistan cricket team suffered their second consecutive defeat in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 after they lost to Australia at Bengaluru by 62 runs following a disappointing performance in all three departments (batting, bowling, and fielding).
The defeat has raised many concerns about the potential that the current Pakistan team has.
One of the main reasons behind Pakistan’s poor performance against quality sides is the captaincy of Babar Azam. The star batter’s captaincy has been questionable at many points in this tournament. From toss decisions to lineup selection and not making proper bowling changes, Babar’s captaincy has been quite average.
Following are some of the major highlights of his flaws that we have observed during the ICC World Cup 2023 so far.
Utilisation of bowlers
Pakistan opted to bowl first in the game against Australia. The Aussies were on the charge right from ball one. Babar went a little out of the box and introduced Ifikhar Ahmed in the Powerplay which was a good move because off-spinners usually trouble the left-handed batters.
However, his move to bring Iftikhar Ahmed didn’t work. Babar then waited for 18 overs before bringing Mohammad Nawaz. Looking at the numbers, Mohammad Nawaz has the best economy rate in ODIs for Pakistan among the bowlers who played yesterday. Yet he was introduced quite late by Babar.
Moreover, in the mid-phase of the innings, when Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohammad Nawaz provided control, the best move would have been to bring back Usama first, but Babar opted for Hasan Ali and the move backfired.
Another big problem was that, despite Haris Rauf getting hammered for runs and Nawaz and Iftikhar controlling the runs, Babar never allowed Nawaz and Iftikhar Ahmed to complete their 10 overs. Iftikhar bowled 8 overs and gave away 37 runs while Nawaz conceded 43 in 7. These two bowlers were the most economical bowlers of the first innings, but for some reason that only the skipper knows himself, he didn’t let them complete their spells.
The utilisation of bowlers is not a new problem. Even in the game against India, the Pakistani skipper waited for things to happen.
Rohit Sharma was seen utilising five bowlers in 12 overs during Pakistan’s batting, but Babar once again went with the traditional approach. He did not make any surprising bowling changes to test the India batters, rather seven straight overs by Hasan and Shaheen allowed the batters to set.
Among all the bowlers of the Pakistan team in this tournament, Iftikhar Ahmed so far has the best economy rate but in none of the matches he could bowl his 10 overs quota. The skipper looks a little reluctant to try something different.
The pressure of captaincy
It looks like the skipper of Pakistan has not been able to handle the pressure of captaincy.
A lot of people bring in the fact that he has done well in the ODI series against Australia that Pakistan won in 2022 or the ODI series against South Africa that Pakistan won in 2021. However, a lot of key players of both sides did not feature in those series and there is indeed a difference between a bilateral series and an ICC event.
Babar’s performances in the recent ICC events have been disastrous. With a mediocre average of 17 in the ICC World T20 2022 and a below-par World Cup 2023 campaign so far, it is safe to say that Babar Azam still has to prove a lot as a leader. Leading from the front is something that we haven’t seen much from Babar, particularly in key matches.
Why run away from criticism?
After a horrible defeat against Australia, the skipper did not come to face the media after the game. In the post-match press conference, they sent Abdullah Shafique to face the media. When there were many questions about Pakistan’s poor performance, it was expected that the skipper would come and face all the questions. Yet, the skipper didn’t show up and sent Abdullah Shafique to the press conference.
After the defeat against India, Mickey Arthur came in for the press conference. However, it should have been Babar Azam. The questions regarding what happened on the field and why didn’t the team play well could only be answered by the leader of the camp. Avoiding media interactions after poor performances won’t help at all. Rather facing those questions and realising that there is something wrong with the performance is a better idea.
It is pertinent to mention here that yes, a lot of times top performers of the game come in post-match press conferences. But after these horrible performances, it would have been better for Babar Azam to come up and answer all the queries regarding why Pakistan failed to put up a good show. Sending someone young like Abdullah Shafique after the defeat is never justified.
Finally, it can be said that the Pakistani skipper is quite reluctant to try out out-of-the-box things and the burden of captaincy has surely impacted his batting. But to be a great of the game, you have to overcome these pressures and lead from the front against quality opponents.
This does not mean that the rest of the players did well. They have also been quite poor with their performances, for instance, Rauf’s line and length, Pakistan’s fielding as a unit, and lack of big shots with the bat — everything contributed towards the defeats.
The fans have already reacted harshly because, like everyone else, they want trophies and want to see Pakistan playing well against good-quality opponents rather than just settling for Azam’s number one ODI ranking.
Bazif Jabbar Passionate Cricket writer and Commentator. Sharing the magic of the game through words.- Babar Azam