Former Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez has lambasted Babar Azam for deploying Mohammad Nawaz in the final over of the high-voltage clash against India at T20I World Cup. Hafeez pointed out that the Pakistan cricket team had to suffer because of Babar’s poor leadership qualities for the third consecutive time in big matches.
Also Read: Hardik Pandya Likely to be Rested for Netherlands Clash
“Babar Azam’s captaincy is like a sacred cow that can not be criticised. It’s the third consecutive big game that we are seeing flaws in Babar’s captaincy, but we keep hearing that by the time he gets to the age of 32 he will learn. In today’s match, from the seventh over till the 11th over, when India were struggling for even four runs in an over, why did Babar not fulfill the spin quota overs in that time frame,” Hafeez told during a show on Pakistan channel Rahi Cricket.
Nawaz had picked up two crucial wickets of Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik in the 20th over but he could not thwart Team India from scoring the winning runs.
Skipper Babar had to keep Nawaz for the final over after the off-spinner gave 20 runs in his third over. Nawaz started his fourth over on a promising note after dismissing dangerous-looking Pandya for 40. However, due to a lack of discipline in his bowling, the 28-year-old failed to defend 16 runs off his final five deliveries. Overall, Nawaz conceded 42 runs and claimed two wickets after completing his four overs.
Earlier, batting first, Pakistan had registered a formidable total of 159. Pacers Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya bagged three wickets each for India.
Star India batter Virat Kohli pulled a mesmerising inning of unbeaten 82 off just 53 balls to clinch a much-needed victory for his side. The former India skipper slammed six boundaries and four sixes during his magnificent knock.
T20 World Cup 2022: Full Coverage | Schedule | Results | Points Table | Gallery
Pakistan, in their next T20 World Cup encounter, will be up against Zimbabwe on Thursday.
Get the latest Cricket News, Schedule and Cricket Live Scores here