Former Pakistan right-arm pacer Abdul Razzaq has questioned the “change in the technique” of opener Abdullah Shafique before and after the arrival of skipper Babar Azam at the crease in their unexpected World Cup defeat against Afghanistan.
Shafique was scoring almost at a strike rate of 100, occasionally hitting a boundary on a loose ball. After the end of the powerplay, Imam-ul-Haq lost his wicket, and Babar came in to bat at his usual spot.
From that point, Shafique’s strike rate dropped drastically to 77, and he was dismissed for 58 (75) in the 23rd over of the game by Noor Ahmad. Razzaq criticised the change in Shafique’s technique.
“When Abdullah Shafique was playing, he was aggressive, but when Babar (Azam) came in to bat, he was stopping his shots, which means he got guidelines to not hit the shot. He tried to stop the ball or play a half-hearted shot. The ball he got out on was not a wicket-taking ball; it seemed like he did not know how to play. This means that whenever the captain is on the crease, the strike rate of other players is 78 to 80. It means that he was told to play like that,” Razzaq said.
Babar’s captaincy has been questioned by fans as well as former players numerous times. He was under fire once again after Afghanistan pulled off another upset in the World Cup. But Razzaq pointed out the role of team management in Pakistan’s on and off-field decisions.
“This is not cricket. You are scoring 270 against such teams; your target should be around 350. This should have been your approach. They say Babar doesn’t know captaincy; then what are the people in management doing? They should help him out, Razzaq added.
After suffering an 8-wicket defeat to Afghanistan and their third consecutive defeat in the ongoing World Cup, the Men in Green will look to change the momentum as they face South Africa on Friday.
