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'He Is Not Great Yet' - Mohammad Hafeez Questions Great Cricketer Tag For Babar Azam

image-lo8ppbqgBabar Azam with Rohit Sharma at the 2023 World Cup (x.com)

Mohammad Hafeez has question credibility over Pakistan captain Babar Azam’s “greatness” after team’s lop-sided show at the 2023 World Cup. Under Babar’s leadership, the ‘Men in Green’ slumped to three demoralizing defeats at the hands of arch-rivals India, Australia and Afghanistan, thus tendering their remaining games a must-win one for them for an unlikely spot in the semi-finals.

Hafeez claimed that those who think the current Pakistan skipper is a ‘great player’, must not have seen the greats of the game. The legendary all-rounder also cited Rohit Sharma’s example, claiming the Indian captain has been leading his side from the front with match-winning performances.

Mohammad Hafeez questions Babar Azam’s ‘greatness’

Pakistan veteran Mohammad Hafeez, while speaking on a TV show, stated that while Babar Azam is a “very, very good” batsman, he still has a long way to go into becoming a great player. He further added that one should not put unnecessary tags on their favorite cricketers because it will only put pressure on such players to perform. He said:

“When he’s called a great Pakistan player, then I have doubts over it. Those who say that probably haven’t seen greats of the game – from Pakistan and around the world. Yes, he is a very, very good player. He is not great yet. We are putting a tag on him before he’s reached those stages. That’s pressure on him.”

Mohammad Hafeez also took this opportunity to question Babar Azam’s captaincy skills, claiming that the Pakistan team has not witnessed any technical growth since the star batter took over leadership. He added that Babar needs to step up his game, particularly in the ongoing 2023 World Cup.

Hafeez praised Indian skipper Rohit Sharma for leading his team from the front and advised the current Pakistan captain to stay in a somewhat similar aggressive zone. He added:

“If you’re talking about Babar’s captaincy, I’ve said it before: the maturity and technical growth that should have come in the last three years hasn’t been seen. He needs to step up his game. He needs to perform and stay in an aggressive zone: other captains have, Rohit Sharma is successful because he is leading from the front.”

After five rounds of World Cup 2023 fixtures, Pakistan team finds itself placed outside the top four reckoning on the points table. They launched their campaign with confident wins over Netherlands and Sri Lanka in Hyderabad before three successive defeats dented their semi-final hopes.

Leadership aside, Babar Azam has indeed led his team from the front with the bat as he has notched up three fifty-plus scores in the tournament, including half-centuries against South African and table-toppers India.