Babar Azam is going through a lean patch as a captain of Peshawar Zalmi in the ongoing Pakistan Super League 2023. The team has lost two consecutive matches even after consecutively posting the big 240+ totals in the first innings. The team couldn’t defend both totals owing to the poor bowling intent in the second innings.
Although, Babar had a very smooth day in the office with the bat as he scored a century in Peshawar’s eighth match of the tournament against Quetta Gladiators; later, he also played a half-century knock of 73 knocks off just 39 balls with nine boundaries and two sixes to his name.
But his captaincy tactics have been under the scanner due to the unfavorable results in both the match against Quetta and Multan respectively. Subsequently, a Pakistan-based sports journalist Shoaib Jatt took to Twitter to criticize Babar Azam’s captaincy.
“241, 242, If a captain can't defend big totals in back-to-back games then we must say he doesn't know the art of captaincy ...... do you agree?????,” tweeted Shoaib Jatt in a tweet from his official Twitter handle.
241
— Shoaib Jatt (@Shoaib_Jatt) March 10, 2023
242
If a captain can't defend big totals in back to back games then we must say he doesn't know the art of captaincy ...... do you agree ?????
Although this analysis from the ARY journalist didn’t go down well with ardent Babar Azam fans; they couldn’t hold back reacting with hard responses and brutally trolling Shoaib Jatt in the comment section of his tweet. Fans and a few of the sports journalists also reminded him that it was Tom-Kohler Cadmore who was the stand-in skipper of the team in the second innings when Babar was off-the-field.
Here's how fans reacted:
Aisee bowling ke saath tau Ricky Ponting and Dhoni ne bhee defend nahee kar paaana thaa.
— Faizan Lakhani (@faizanlakhani) March 10, 2023
Kya hasad bharey insan ho. World class player k pechey par gaye ho. Mushkil sy 2.3 world class players hyn hmare pass, tmhare hasad nazar hi na laga dy
— Zaman Alizai (@ZamanAlizai1) March 11, 2023
Tu krly captaincy knjr..imad tere father ko ati h captaincy ??
— Iqra Ahmad (@Iqraahmad008) March 11, 2023
Shoaib bhai, Tom Kohler-Cadmore was the captain in the second inns. Babar Azam didn't take field, he's suffering from fever 😔🙏🏼
— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) March 10, 2023
If there is an award for "Chawal of year", you're the winner man.
— Umair Abbas (@UmairAb56992302) March 11, 2023
کیسے کر لیتے ہو یار........
Compare Gill with GoaTEMBA who is playing a match Winning inning for his team in a very difficult condition no other Batsman has scored 50 and Temba has scored 171 on other side The Highway king who score century where 6-7 batters are scoring century
— Cricket Wallah (@Wallah4Cricket) March 11, 2023
But the matter of fact is, Babar didn't captain his side due to fever.
— Owzim (@Muh_Ann5) March 10, 2023
Lakh lanat bsdk!
Sahi keh rha hai shehzaday. Ab dafa ho
— Aysha Khan (@ayshakhan_ak) March 10, 2023
Loru phely match tw dhek leta captain kn tha
— haadii (@haadii72739139) March 11, 2023
@babarazam258 captaincy ka nahi AP ki Cricket knowledge arts ka lack hai ....... Do you agree ?
— Haris Afzal (@HarisWrites78) March 11, 2023
Speaking of the 27th match between Peshawar and Multan, the former’s skipper Babar Azam won the flip of the coin and decided to bat first. Zalmi managed to post a big total of 242 runs in the first innings; courtesy of the brilliant half-centuries from openers, Babar Azam (73 runs off 39 balls) and Saim Ayub (58 runs off 33 balls).
Although, they couldn’t defend this target against Multan; the star batter Rilee Rossouw smashed a blistering century of 121 runs off just 51 balls with 12 boundaries and eight sixes to his credit. Eventually, Multan Sultans won the match by four wickets to hand Peshawar the fifth defeat in the tournament.