Karachi, February 16 Underperforming batsman Babar Azam found himself in the spotlight after Pakistan's 61-run loss to their rivals India in a T20 World Cup match, as several former players in the country demanded his removal, along with some other senior players.
Former captain Babar, senior spinner Shadab Khan, and pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi failed to perform in the one-sided contest in Colombo on Sunday night. While the Pakistani bowling was dominated by young opener Ishan Kishan (77 off 40 balls), their batsmen were outplayed by the combined strength of India's top pacers and spinners.
"If I were in charge, I wouldn't pick Babar, Shadab, and Shaheen again in the T20 team. They have had plenty of opportunities to perform for Pakistan, but they failed again yesterday," said former captain Shahid Afridi.
Afridi said it was time to groom younger players in the format. While Shaheen was dismissed for 31 runs in two overs, Babar was dismissed by Axar Patel for five, attempting a slog despite his team being three wickets down for just 13 runs in a challenging chase of 176.
Former captain and batting great Javed Miandad was not even willing to elaborate on the loss but acknowledged that Pakistan's cricket team has been unable to perform under pressure.
"Players need to show character in big matches. Unfortunately, our players didn't show that character," Miandad said.
Mohammad Yousaf, another former captain who has always backed Babar, also said that the debacle should end the T20 careers of Babar and Shaheen.
"It's time for Shaheen, Babar, and Shadab. Pakistan's T20 squad needs new performers, not empty victories against weaker sides," Yousaf posted on X.
Former pacer Shoaib Akhtar, while speaking to Indian news channel ABP, mocked Babar's superstar status.
"You have made a superstar out of a player (Babar Azam) who cannot win you a game," he said.
"For the last 15-20 years, there has been no investment. The sad reality is that while we fought with India on the field at one point, today we can't even dream of beating them," he added.
Ahmed Shehzad, a vocal critic of Babar for a while, felt that Babar had played his final game for Pakistan in the format.
"Babar has gone again. Maybe it was his last chance to prove his worth in this format," Shehzad wrote on X.
The defeat has left the Pakistani cricket community despondent, with several social media users also mocking the team, suggesting that the Pakistan government should have adhered to the call for a boycott in support of Bangladesh.
"It would have been better if we had stuck with the boycott," posted several handles here.
Former captain Moin Khan said perhaps it was time to accept that India were a far more superior side to Pakistan in any format right now.
"We got our hopes up again this time, but as a professional cricketer, there was always that lingering feeling that the Indian players would come through when it mattered most," Moin said.
Miandad said he was surprised to see Pakistan go with just one pace bowler, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
"Why didn't they play Faheem Ashraf? What kind of strategy is this – playing six spinners?" he wondered.
