Babar Azam: “There is no question mark against him. We totally believe in him”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam has insisted that “there is no question mark” against pace spearhead and newly-appointed T20I skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi.
He added that no one has lost faith in the 23-year-old, who was under pressure going into the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup as he was not taking many wickets.
During the tournament, Afridi got back to his best as he took 18 wickets in nine matches, which included a five-wicket haul against Australia, at an average of 26.72.
“There is no question mark against him. We totally believe in him,” Azam was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
Azam also rediscovered his form during the World Cup as he scored 320 runs in nine matches, which included four half-centuries, at an average of 40.
Pakistan won their first two games against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before suffering four straight defeats at the hands of India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
Despite fighting back to beat Bangladesh and New Zealand, the men in green were unable to qualify for the semi-finals.
Pakistan ended their World Cup campaign on a sour note as they lost their last group stage game against England by 93 runs.
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