Tabraiz Shamsi: “Well if people are saying that he [Babar] is weak and he’s averaging fifty, I wouldn’t like to see him when he’s not weak”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Tabraiz Shamsi, the South Africa spinner, believes it is foolish of people to think that Pakistan captain Babar Azam is weak simply based on the fact that he has some issues when facing left-arm spinners.
Azam’s problem against left-arm spinners was pointed out during Pakistan’s two-Test series against Sri Lanka in July 2023 when Prabath Jayasuriya got him out all three times he batted.
The Pakistan skipper himself admitted that he has been putting in the work to improve against that particular type of bowling.
Even though this may be the case, Shamsi admitted that it is strange for critics to simply label Azam as weak.
“Well if people are saying that he [Babar] is weak and he’s averaging fifty, I wouldn’t like to see him when he’s not weak,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Azam scored 76 runs in the Test series against Sri Lanka at an average of 25.33.
He then took part in the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan and finished with 113 runs, which included two half-centuries, at an average of 37.66.
Most recently, he captained Pakistan in the Asia Cup and accumulated 207 runs in five matches, which included a top score of 151, at an average of 51.75.
Currently, he is involved in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup and has made scores of 5 and 10 in Pakistan’s first two games against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka respectively.
Despite his low scores, the men in green won both matches and will now face India on October 14 in Ahmedabad.
Pakistan Squad for 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali