Pakistan captain Babar Azam is hailed as a modern-day great in International Cricket. The 28-year-old is the only player in the world to be in the top five of batters rankings in each of the three formats. Azam is the No.1 in ODIs, No.3 in T20Is, and No.4 in Tests. However, the Pakistani skipper finds himself at the receiving end of criticism when he suffers a failure.
In the recent ODI series between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Azam was dismissed for a duck in the first ODI but then made a return among the runs with his twin fifties in the second and third ODIs. However, Pakistan batter Abid Ali believes that Azam should be criticised as it brings the best out in him.
"When he is criticized, Allah blesses him in a way that he scores without any stopping. Babar has played with me; he's also my junior - now he is a world-class player. Allah has given Pakistan such a star that there are no words to describe it. His [Babar] batting skills - it's always fun to watch him play," Abid said while speaking to Cricket Pakistan.
People start complaining after one or two matches: Ali
The 35-year-old Ali also stated that people start complaining if he does not perform after one of two matches. He added that this is because that even his critics want him to perform.“All commentators worldwide praise him; so do we. We can pray for him that Allah bestows him with health and that he may continue to perform for the Pakistan cricket team. If he doesn't perform in one or two matches, people start complaining that Babar didn't perform; even the ones criticizing him want him to perform," Ali added.
Babar will be at the center stage once again when he will be leading Pakistan in the upcoming Asia Cup 2023. The Men in Green kickstarted their campaign in the regional tournament against Nepal on August 30 and will face India in a high-voltage encounter on September 2.
