'Extremely ordinary': Gautam Gambhir lashes out at PAK skipper Babar Azam's leadership

Pakistan got knocked out of the Asia Cup 2023 after losing to Sri Lanka by two wickets in a rain-hit Super Four clash. Mohammad Rizwan's fighting knock of 86 not out lifted Pakistan to 252/7, but Charith Asalanka's composure took Sri Lanka over the line in the final-ball thriller. Sri Lanka will face India in the continental tournament final on September 17.

3 things you need to know 

• Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama stitched a hundred-run partnership
• Gautam Gambhir has urged Pakistan captain Babar Azam to improve his leadership
• Zaman Khan, who was on debut, bowled the final over for Pakistan 

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'Babar allowed the game to drift'

After the match, former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir slammed Pakistan's Babar Azam, calling his captaincy "extremely ordinary". He said that Babar messed up with his team's fielding placements when Sri Lanka needed eight runs in the final over. 

"For me, extremely ordinary captaincy as well. There was a four hit in Zaman Khan's over over mid-off and there was another four hit in Shaheen Shah Afridi's over over mid-off, and both those deliveries were slower ones," Gambhir said on Star Sports. "If you want to bowl slower ones, keep the mid-off fielder at long-off and bring the third man up. This is extremely simple captaincy. Imagine if you had 13 runs left in the last over, it would have been difficult for Sri Lanka."

Gambhir further opined that Babar needs to learn how to maintain pressure instead of looking for wickets in the final few overs. He added that the result could have been in Pakistan's favour had they arranged a T20-style field. Zaman Khan, who was on debut, bowled the last over. He managed to take a wicket in the fourth ball, but Charith Asalanka hit a boundary before running for a double to take Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup 2023 final. 

"You (Babar) were allowing the game to drift at one stage. You wanted to complete your sixth bowler's quota. It doesn't work out like that. When the (hundred-run) partnership was developing between Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama, you should have brought on your main bowlers and tried to pick up wickets," Gambhir said. 

Gambhir also urged Babar to improve his captaincy, pointing out that ODI cricket does not work like T20Is.

"Pakistan could have won this game only by taking wickets. If Sri Lanka had batted till the end, they could have won earlier than they actually did. I feel Babar Azam will have to be slightly better in his captaincy as ODI cricket is not like T20 cricket," Gambhir said.