- Ahmed Shehzad criticized Babar Azam's performance.
- Imam-ul-Haq defended Babar Azam.
- Imam stated that Babar is unbothered by the criticism.
Imam, in a local sports show, emphasized that respect should not be overlooked when critiquing the team’s performance.
“He’s your captain, you don’t want to consider him as a captain it’s fine. The world has made him the king, you haven’t,” Imam stated, comparing the criticism of Babar to the body shaming of batter Azam Khan.
Imam further stated that Babar deserves respect for his contributions to the team and his participation in 250 international matches.
While not excusing Babar’s lack of performance, Imam insisted that his stats from the last 20 games should not eclipse his stats from the previous 250 games, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging his contributions.
“Is there anyone who have been the number one in Pakistan’s ODI ranking as well as in the T20I,” the batter questioned.
He continued, “All of us have played for Pakistan and all of us have the right to criticise. None of us are satisfied with the team’s performance against India, but remember that the element of respect should not be ignored.”
The left-handed batter expressed his views on Ahmed’s criticism, who labeled Babar a “fake king” and compared his own statistics with Babar’s during the Wednesday show.
“I feel I could’ve done better than those stats. But your (Babar’s) stats are worse than mine… You’ve faced 205 balls in powerplays in T20 World Cups, but you haven’t managed to hit one six!”
Ahmed, in his critique of the Pakistan captain, added, “You destroyed the entire domestic structure. You sacrificed good performers in domestic cricket to adjust your friends in the team.”
Imam asserted that Babar is unfazed by the criticism he is receiving and does not have the time to respond to it.
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