Gautam Gambhir lambasts 'selfish' Pakistan captain Babar Azam: 'Think about your team'

Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir criticized Pakistan captain Babar Azam for being a selfish player, amid his dismal performance in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022. While Pakistan registered their first Super 12 win of the ongoing tournament against the Netherlands on Sunday, Babar continued to fail in getting his innings going. This prompted Gambhir to criticize Babar on commentary, as he said the cricketer should think about the team first. 

"In my opinion, first, you think about your team instead of yourself; if nothing goes according to your plan, you should have sent Fakhar Zaman up the batting order. This is called selfishness; as a captain, it is easy to be selfish. It is easy for Babar and Rizwan to open the innings for Pakistan and create so many records. If you want to be a leader, you have to think about your team", he said.

Babar Azam’s performance in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 so far

Opening the batting alongside Mohammad Rizwan, the Pakistan skipper has managed to score only eight runs in the three games he has played in the T20 World Cup 2022. Pakistan’s top order has evidently suffered from early wickets this edition, which reflects on their position in the Group 2 Super 12 points table. Pakistan won the game against the Netherlands after Fakhar Zaman was brought into the side and played a helpful knock of 20 runs in 16 balls. 

On the other hand, Babar started his T20 WC campaign with a duck against India in a match that India won by four wickets. In the next game, Babar scored four runs off nine deliveries as the Pakistani team failed to chase down a low-scoring total. Playing against the Netherlands, Babar was run-out on the score of four runs.

Babar Azam’s strike rate is the lowest when he opens for Pakistan

Apart from Gambhir, former Pakistan cricketers like Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar have also lashed out at Babar. The former cricketers have suggested Babar should give up the opening role and demote himself to the middle order. The 28-year-old has an average of 40.41 in his T20I career while opening the innings, which rises to 49.29 when he bats at No. 3.

Meanwhile, Pakistan are currently placed fifth in the Super 12 standings with only one win in the three games. They are up against South Africa in a must-win game on Thursday. Babar’s captaincy and performance will be one of the main things to look out for during the Pakistan vs South Africa, T20 World Cup 2022 match.