The star Afghanistan cricketer Rahmanullah Gurbaz revealed Babar Azam's reaction after the team's famous win over Pakistan in the recently concluded ICC World Cup 2023. Afghanistan emerged as a surprise package in the recently concluded ICC World Cup 2023 with four wins to finish in the fifth position in the points table.
On the other hand, Pakistan had a tournament to forget as they finished fifth with just four wins in nine games. There were some brilliant individual innings but the team clearly lacked intention and unity despite winning the opening two games. Their defeats against rivals India and Afghanistan further hammered their chances to secure knockout qualification.
Afghanistan recorded their maiden ODI win against Pakistan in Chennai which stunned the cricket world. It was a shocking defeat for Babar Azam-led side as they failed to defend 282 runs at Chennai's bowling-friendly surface. Babar was the leading run-getter in that game where he scored his highest score of 74 runs in the tournament.
Gurbaz highlighted Babar's reaction when he approached the star batter for his bat after the match. Afghan wicketkeeper batter also revealed that the Pakistani skipper seemed under tremendous pressure and was about to cry.
“That moment I will never forget about Babar," Gurbaz told Momin Saqib on Wednesday. "We beat Pakistan, and then I asked for his bat. Once he brought the bat, he was so disappointed, and I can feel as a player. I can feel that, you know, when you lost the game and then this, especially in this kind of situation. He was under so much pressure. Trust me, I was trying not to say this in front of the camera, but I want to say that he was about to cry. He was so dejected, and I have never seen any player like that. Everyone was against him. But I salute Babar bhai, he was so strong and he kept going. He never gave up.”
Babar struggled for consistency with a bat as he scored 320 runs in nine innings with four fifty-plus scores. He showed some form in the closing stages but was not able to guide his team to the top-four finish. Babar also resigned from captaincy duties after the tournament and will be seen in action for the first time during Pakistan's upcoming Test tour to Australia starting on December 14.
