Former Pakistan Test cricketer and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja has defended star batter Babar Azam amid online criticism after the first ODI against Australia.
Pakistan lost the first of the three-match ODI series by two wickets at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) after a spirited performance with the ball.
Babar Azam, who was playing his first ODI match after stepping down as Pakistan’s white-ball captain, managed a meagre 37 runs from 44 balls with the help of four boundaries.
Pakistan’s batting line-up folded for a paltry 203-run total, which Australia successfully chased in 33.3 overs at the loss of eight wickets.
Ramiz Raja, during a recent video on his YouTube channel, heaped praise on Babar and expressed disappointment over the criticism against the star batter.
Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel
“If you got a player like Babar Azam by mistake, you should respect him. Babar Azam played better than all Pakistani batters in the first ODI against Australia,” said Ramiz.
“I get disappointed when I see keyboard warriors trolling and abusing Babar.”
Notably, the second ODI of the series will be played on 8 November in Adelaide, while Perth will host the third ODI on 10 November. The ODI series will be followed by a three-match T20I series, scheduled to commence on November 14.
Brisbane will host the first T20I, with the next matches scheduled for November 16 and 18 in Sydney and Hobart, respectively.
Notably, wicket-keeper Josh Inglis is set to captain Australia for the first time as he will lead the side in the third ODI against Pakistan as well as the following T20I series.
Pakistan Squad for ODI Series against Australia
Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (vc) and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
READ: Shaheen Afridi makes significant leap in ICC All-Rounder Rankings