Pakistan batter Abid Ali feels that Babar Azam needs to be criticised if he fails in back-to-back innings as it will help him bounce back and get the best out of him. Babar has been performing consistently well in the last couple of years and is the only batter who is ranked amongst the top 5 batters across formats. He currently holds the top spot in the ODI listing, placed fourth in Tests while third in T20Is.
However, he failed to perform well with the bat in the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup last year. The right-handed batter scored just 68 runs in 6 Asia Cup matches, while he managed just 124 runs in the T20 WC.
35-year-old Abid, who played alongside Babar, talked highly of the Pakistan captain and suggested that criticism only makes him do better.
“It’s good, Babar should be criticized. When he is criticised, 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,” said Abid while speaking to Cricket Pakistan.
Abid also said that the players who criticise Babar also want him to do better.
“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,” he added.
Pakistan will start their Asia Cup campaign on August 30 in the tournament opener against Nepal in Lahore. Meanwhile, Babar and Co. will face arch-rivals India on September 2 in the group stage clash. They will enter the tournament as the number 1 ranked side after their 3-0 series win over Afghanistan.
Pakistan had been at number two in the International Cricket Council ODI rankings before the series but the 3-0 triumph lifted them above Australia.
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