Sarfaraz Ahmed: “In Pakistan, making a mistake is a sin. I know Babar makes mistakes but give him some time. It takes time to become a captain and build a team. We need to be patient and support Babar as he is our captain”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed hopes that Babar Azam is given more time as captain as he knows that “making a mistake is a sin” in the country.
His defence for Azam comes at a time where the 29-year-old is under intense scrutiny since the men in green have failed to impress in the ongoing 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
While acknowledging that Azam has made mistakes as captain, Sarfaraz, who previously led the Pakistan team in all three formats, stressed that making rash decisions is not the way to go.
“In Pakistan, making a mistake is a sin. I know Babar makes mistakes but give him some time. It takes time to become a captain and build a team. We need to be patient and support Babar as he is our captain,” he was quoted as saying by Geo Super.
In the World Cup, Azam has scored 207 runs in six matches, which includes three fifties, at an average of 34.50.
Under his captaincy, Pakistan started on a high as they beat the Netherlands and Sri Lanka.
However, everything started to fall apart from there as the men in green succumbed to defeats against India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
With their hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals in real danger, Pakistan snapped their losing streak with a dominant seven-wicket win over Bangladesh in Kolkata.
They will be looking to maintain their newfound momentum in their next match against New Zealand on November 4 in Bengaluru.
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
[TS_Poll id=”87″]