Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir criticized Babar Azam’s captaincy following Pakistan’s defeat to Sri Lanka in the Super 4 match of the Asia Cup 2023. Pakistan’s loss in this crucial game resulted in their elimination from the tournament, while Sri Lanka advanced to the final against India.
During the match, Pakistan, having won the toss, chose to bat but faced rain delays, which reduced the game to 45 overs per side. Fakhar Zaman struggled, managing only 4 runs, but a partnership of 64 runs between Babar Azam (29) and Abdullah Shafique (52) provided some stability.
However, Pakistan faced difficulties after Babar’s dismissal, reaching 130/5 after 27.4 overs. Rain interrupted the game again, reducing it to 42 overs per side. Mohammad Rizwan’s unbeaten 86 and Iftikhar Ahmed’s 47 contributed significantly to Pakistan’s recovery, taking them to a total of 252/7 in 42 overs.
Sri Lanka’s response was anchored by Kusal Mendis, who scored 91 runs, setting a solid platform for their chase. Late wickets from Iftikhar and Shaheen Afridi made the contest intense in the final few overs, but Charith Asalanka’s composed innings of 49* secured the victory for Sri Lanka.
After the match, Gautam Gambhir, in a discussion on Star Sports, criticized Babar Azam’s captaincy and fielding placements. He pointed out what he considered subpar captaincy decisions, such as not adjusting the field properly when slower deliveries were being bowled.
Gautam Gambhir
Gambhir stated, “For me, extremely ordinary captaincy as well. There was a four-hit in Zaman Khan’s over mid-off, and there was another four-hit in Shaheen Shah Afridi’s over mid-off, and both those deliveries were slower ones.”
He further added, “If you want to bowl slower ones, keep the mid-off fielder at long-off and bring the third man up. This is extremely simple captaincy. Imagine if you had 13 runs left in the last over, it would have been difficult for Sri Lanka.”
Gambhir also raised questions about Babar’s leadership during the partnership between Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama, suggesting that he should have adopted a more aggressive approach during the middle overs.
“You were allowing the game to drift at one stage. You wanted to complete your sixth bowler’s quota. It doesn’t work out like that. When the partnership was developing between Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama, you should have brought on your main bowlers and tried to pick up wickets,” Gambhir emphasized.
In conclusion, Gambhir expressed his belief that Babar Azam needed to improve his captaincy, especially in the context of ODI cricket, where taking wickets becomes crucial, and strategic decisions can have a significant impact on the outcome of the game.