Former India cricketer and renowned commentator Parthiv Patel took a massive dig at Pakistan white-ball captain Babar Azam, terming him “selfish”.
In an interview, Patel commented on the decline of the Pakistan men’s cricket team and questioned Babar’s leadership.
Former wicketkeeper batter Parthiv Patel backed his remarks by highlighting how opening batter Fakhar Zaman had to bat down the order in a bid to accommodate Babar Azam’s interests.
“Captain wanted to open, so he [Zaman] had to come down if the captain is a selfish player there’s no chance,” Parthiv said.
“There is nothing new in it. Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, everyone says that,” Parthiv added.
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Parthiv Patel then went on to term the current Pakistan side the “weakest” as he drew contrasts with the golden era of the side which featured legendary cricketers like Inzamam-ul-Haq, Shoaib Akhtar, Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Mohammad Yousuf, and Saqlain Mushtaq.
“They don’t have players; they don’t have T20 kind of players. The way cricket is going right now, we are talking about a strike rate of 150-160 and these guys are still in the 120s. They are far behind than any other international side,” stated Patel.
It is pertinent to mention that the Pakistan team including skipper Babar Azam has been in hot water following their dismal run in the T20 World Cup 2024.
The 2009 champions, in a first, were knocked out from the group stage of the tournament, majorly because of their upset defeat against the USA, followed by a gut-wrenching defeat against arch-rivals India.
The back-to-back defeats had put Pakistan on the verge of an early exit from the tournament while the abandonment of the crucial group-stage fixture between the USA and Ireland, officially marked the end of their campaign in T20 World Cup 2024.
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