Sehwag Claims Babar Azam Doesn't Fit in T20 Team

Pakistan did not perform well in the bilateral series against Ireland and England. Carrying that form into the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, the Pakistan team went to the USA, only to face more failures under Babar Azam's leadership.

Historically, Pakistan tends to perform unexpectedly well when there are no expectations, as seen in the 2017 Champions Trophy and the 2022 T20 World Cup. However, this hasn't been the case in this year's T20 World Cup.

They started with a loss against newcomers USA, and despite being in a winning position against India, Babar Azam's team ended up losing. Victories against Canada and Ireland were not enough to secure a place in the Super Eight.

Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag has criticized Pakistan's captain Babar Azam amidst Pakistan's disappointing performance. According to him, if Pakistan were to choose a new captain, Babar Azam would not even make it to the T20 team.

In a conversation with Cricbuzz, Virender Sehwag said, "Babar Azam is not the kind of batter who can hit sixes. He only does so when he's set and facing spin bowling. I've never seen him advance down the pitch or hit a fast bowler over cover for a six; that's not his game. He plays safe cricket. That's why he consistently scores runs, but his strike rate isn't good."

"As a leader, you have to see if this game is crucial for the team. If not, then drop yourself down the order and send someone who can hit big shots in the powerplay and give the team 50-60 runs. It might sound harsh, but if there's a change in captaincy, Babar Azam does not deserve a place in the T20 team. His performance and strike rate don't fit today's T20 cricket."