It’s good, Babar Azam should be criticized: Abid Ali

Pakistan batter Abid Ali believes Babar Azam should be criticized as it will help him to get back on track. Since the Asia Cup 2022, the Pakistan skipper's average across all formats has fallen below 40. He has had a dismal outing in the ICC T20 World Cup in 2022, scoring just 124 runs from seven games, which saw Pakistan suffer a five-wicket loss to England in a low-scoring final.

However, Azam's numbers have got better in some of Pakistan's recent series. In ODIs, he has scored a hundred and six half-centuries off 11 games. Moreover, in the recent three-game ODI series against Afghanistan, he finished with back-to-back fifties, in which Pakistan clean sweeped their opponents.

With the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 drawing near, Ali stated that criticism helps Azam a lot. He described him as a world-class player and stated he enjoys watching him play.

“It’s good, Babar should be criticized. When he is criticized, Allah blesses him in a way that he scores without any stopping. Babar has played with me; he’s also my junior – now he is a world-class player. Allah has given Pakistan such a star that there are no words to describe it. His [Babar] batting skills – it’s always fun to watch him play,” Ali told Cricket Pakistan.

If he doesn’t perform in one or two matches, people start complaining that Babar didn’t perform: Ali

Besides, the 35-year-old went on to say that all commentators praise him and that’s what fans and experts in Pakistan also doing. He also said that he would be blasted by many if he failed to perform in a few games, adding the critics always wanted him to perform well.

“All commentators worldwide praise him; so do we. We can pray for him that Allah bestows him with health and that he may continue to perform for the Pakistan cricket team. If he doesn’t perform in one or two matches, people start complaining that Babar didn’t perform; even the ones criticizing him want him to perform,” he added.