'Babar Azam Does Not Think Out Of The Box As Captain', Says Ex-Pakistan Captain Shoaib Malik's Brutal Analysis Ahead Of Cricket World Cup 2023

Shoaib Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq slammed the Pakistani captain Babar Azam for being too obvious as a captain and not being clever and sharp enough.

Babar Azam and Shoaib Malik. (Image: X/AP)

Pakistan start the Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign on October 6 vs Netherlands at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. The Babar Azam-led side will be missing the services of their ace pacer Naseem Shah. Speaking at the Captains's Media day, Babar said that their strength in this World Cup is their bowling attack. However, it is also true that without the new-ball bowler Naseem, who swings the ball both the ways, Pakistani bowling might struggle.

Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik feels that itis Babar's fault that the team did not have an able backup for Naseem. Hasan Ali was roped in as replacement for Naseem but the experts doubt whether he has the same quality as the injured pacer. Blaming Babar for his lack of vision to prepare an able backup, Malik said that the captain does not think out of the box. "Babar has improved a lot as captain but he still does not think out of the box. As a leader you have to do that. I will give some examples. Naseem Shah is injured now. Everyone now says that we don't have an ideal replacement for him. But if you see in the kast three years, we just had Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem and Haris Rauf as three pacers, who play all the matches, even against sides like the Netherlands.

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"Babar should have tried someone else, given opportunities to others in consequential match so that they got the international exposure," said Malik while speaking on A Sports show The Pavilion. 

The Pakistani batter added that Babar's lack of tactics reflect when he keeps his main bowlers on even when the wickets are hard to come by. Malik said that Babar does not think in a different way. If he did, he could try out some non-regular bowlers as they often break stubborn partnerships. 

Malik, Wasim Akram and Misbah-ul-Haq said that one of the many worries for Pakistan in the World Cup will be the spinners. All the teams will need their spinners to pick wickets in the overs 10 to 30 and Pakistan does not seem to have the bowlers, who are in form, to do the same.

Earlier, Ravi Shastri, the former India head coach and the 1983 World Cup champion, had said that Pakistan does not have the same sting in their squad which they used to have in 90s. Wasim Akram and Moin Khan, who were part of the squad in those years, ageed and said that Pakistan lack the firepower with which the other current international teams play in this format of the sport.