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Babar Azam - T20I Captaincy Watch

This is getting more and more bizarre now

Why was Qadir picked in the side ?:sarf_facepalm
 
For his fielding perhaps?
Utter madness. Every team in the world is experimenting right now, trying to make sure they try every possible candidate before the world cup, and here we are selecting a specialist bowler and not even bowling him.

Is a spot in the international team so worthless that we'll waste it just like that ?. Surely someone has to answer for this.
 
Need a Mickey Arthur type coach to get in his face and challenge him on his selections, batting order decisions, bowling changes, field placements.

Ramiz has given Babar too much power with zero accountability
 
Babar is a clueless captain.

Why would you have the third man up for a 146 kph bowler against a tail ender.
 
Babar Azam "I thought we were 10-15 runs short, but the way Asif Ali finished the innings and the way the bowlers bowled was outstanding"
 
Lacks IQ and tactical awareness when it comes scenarios that demand a change.

Sending Shan instead of Asif Ali was poor.
 
He’s a rubbish captain and leader

He is blessed to have bowlers who produce magic for him and lower order hitters/tailenders who have pulled the cat out of the bag numerous times for him
 
I'm all for giving the captain all the power he needs to develop and lead a team under his reign, however the captain needs to be someone who has the right attributes (or ability to develop those attributes).

We've now seen enough to develop an opinion on his leadership potential. And it's quite obviously not there. He is rigid and inflexible. You never see any on the spot innovations or inspired changes. His overall approach is always one that chooses the safest option available at that moment. He seems to have the power of respect over the others because he has been the star performer of years now and that is giving rise to an army of minions brainlessly following him.
 
Babar is a clueless captain.

Why would you have the third man up for a 146 kph bowler against a tail ender.
That was quite simply idiotic. Specially keeping in mind Hasnain doesn't have too much confidence in his Yorker under pressure so a length ball was going to be his go to defense. The batsman slashing hard and edging it down to third man was as predictable as it gets. Wasim commented on that immediately after the ball.
 
one of the worst captains in pakistan cricketing history when it comes to lack of game management, also poor tactics etc.. pakistan results in all formats will keep suffering because of this.
 
Field settings for Hasnain for that poor over were bizarre to say the least.

He needed his 3rd man back but didn't have that key fielder in position.
 
Defensive captaincy, bad field placements, unusual bowling selections : why have you selected Qadir to play in let’s face it a World Cup warm up series, and now even bowl him for even one over!??

This is as baffling as not bowling a mainline spinner properly , Nawaz, in the Sri Lanka final.

Straight up we need Rizwan as captain
 
I didn't watch Pakistan's innings today.
But Usman Qadir was in the side and didn't bowl?
They won today, but it came down to Haris Rauf's miraculous bowling at the end. England really should have won it.
The verdict has long been in for me. Babar is not captaincy material, in any format.
In T20s, Pakistanis are way too passionate and actually care, unlike tests, so he'll hang around as clueless test captain for a while longer, but I believe in T20s he will not be captain within a year.
He has no ability to innovate, think on his feet, always a few steps behind the casual fan in terms of tactics and strategy.
He is running the whole show now, with Saqlain as just a rubber-stamp guy, so essentially Pakistan is without a functioning/effective coach.
I was thinking today how much more Sarfraz accomplished as T20 captain with much less talent at his disposal. Think back to some of the guys Sarfraz had to rely on when he was on his T20 streak, compared to the greater talent, especially in bowling, Babar is working with.
He has developed a certain camaraderie with the team. But that has its price too in terms of excessive loyalty. Again, why was Usman Qadir playing today?
 
Simply doesn't know how to Captain a side.....lacks game awareness.... isn't street smart to make quick changes... doesn't know opposition side's weakness and strong points.... Should be replaced....May be Shadab Khan can be a great Captain....
 
I love Babar Azam, but seriously he is extremely stubborn and biased when it comes to certain selections and decisions.

1. The Khushdil Shah experiment needs to end now.
2. Usman Qadir has been a constant presence in the squad since Babar took over as captain, and there's nothing he adds to the squad.
3. Iftikhar, Khushdil, Usman all of them are given more love by the management than they deserve.
4. The players he doesn't like get shelved around needlessly, eg Dhani, Haider, Wasim.


Babar needs to be kept in check by a strong coach before it gets out of hand.
 
Q: “why is Haider not playing today?”

Babar: He is little bit injured

Q: little bit injured I see. So why is Rizwan playing since last 2 months?

Babar: well you know Rizwan is fighter, team spirit
 
Whatever confidence Qadir had in himself Babar completely shattered it or may be it was a forced selection by Saqlain so Babar gave him in his face rarely this happens that a specialist bowler is used altogether

Babar really needs a counselling session with some ex skippers
 
He's really a clueless captain isn't he? Goes from one extreme to the other. Why send Asif Ali with half the innings left?
 
Poor again today.

His own fielding didn't help, but the bowling changes were bizarre.

Giving M Wasim jr the last over was an awful decision.
 
Poor again today.

His own fielding didn't help, but the bowling changes were bizarre.

Giving M Wasim jr the last over was an awful decision.

To be fair, anyone (except haris) would have gone for a phainta in that last over but Wasim's confidence was already down after that drop catch and his previous 3 overs were terrible.

But what on earth was he thinking bowling Nawaz for only 1 over.

And also failed with his own batting today. Terrible series for babar as captain.
 
But what on earth was he thinking bowling Nawaz for only 1 over.

Very good point.

He's been reliable and consistent.

What on earth was Babar thinking.
 
It's just gets worse and worse with each match

- Nawaz bowls the opening over and then is nowhere to be seen. Why?
- Iftikhar didn't bowl throughout the AC (except 1 over in the final), didn't bowl in the first 4 matches but now is bowling his whole quota?
-Surely if Waseem had already conceded 36 in his first 2, Nawaz could've bowled a second over in the middle somewhere and then we'd have Rauf and Hasnain bowling the 19th and 20th?.
-Khushdil , the best spinner of last PSL hasnt had a bowl in any match internationally since then.
-Rauf has been playing nonstop for months now. Are we waiting for him to break down before he gets a rest?. A one match lay off isn't enough. Doesn't anyone in the management realize there is no international bowler bowling at 150 that plays this much?. He should have been rested this whole series.
 
I don't understand Nawaz being under utilised by Babar.

Does he perceive him as a threat to his captaincy?
 
Unable to lead from the front Babar today. Is this a sign of things to come?
 
It's just gets worse and worse with each match

- Nawaz bowls the opening over and then is nowhere to be seen. Why?
- Iftikhar didn't bowl throughout the AC (except 1 over in the final), didn't bowl in the first 4 matches but now is bowling his whole quota?
-Surely if Waseem had already conceded 36 in his first 2, Nawaz could've bowled a second over in the middle somewhere and then we'd have Rauf and Hasnain bowling the 19th and 20th?.
-Khushdil , the best spinner of last PSL hasnt had a bowl in any match internationally since then.
-Rauf has been playing nonstop for months now. Are we waiting for him to break down before he gets a rest?. A one match lay off isn't enough. Doesn't anyone in the management realize there is no international bowler bowling at 150 that plays this much?. He should have been rested this whole series.
Indeed. IMO T20 is the most challenging format for captains as the margin for error is so small.

The best captains are flexible, read situations quickly and make more good decisions. Yet we could compile a long list of Babar's missteps in this series and Asia Cup.

Even his good decisions seem incidental than by design e.g. Aamer Jamal bowling in the death, India promote Jadeja so we promote Nawaz.
 
Babar Azam is not himself.

His batting shows doubts, his fielding we saw today, mind not on the game, not the smartest on-field decisions.

To top it all, looks like he is not fit the way he used to be.

Worrying times for him and for Pakistan.
 
I think Pakistan has suffered the most T20i defeats under him

Can someone verify or discredit this claim?
 
He has no goal/ Intent ,that is what differentiate virat from him , he made intent very clear before captaincy and achieved it , created a Fast bowling attack that compete overseas and not only that he leads from front In a aggressive manner , he created that fear in opposition minds when ever he comes to bat with Swagger and confidence which I think Babar lacks completely, he may score runs but he will not create that fear in opposition minds
 
Done well today Babar, atleast by looking at the NZ score so far.
 
Done well today Babar, atleast by looking at the NZ score so far.

Awful.

You've got 3 good overs out of Nawaz, he's got 2 wickets. Its coming to the end of the innings, why make him bowl the 4th over which went for 22.
 
Babar is the sort of skipper in the league of Alastair Cook Muhammad Yusuf, Dines Chandimal etcetera
 
Strange decision from Babar to not use any spinners in the PP today, especially on a spinning track. Should've given Nawaz a go, he's good at getting breakthroughs
 
Waited 6 overs to bring on a spinner.

This guy is an autopilot captain. Lacks creativity and out of the box thinking.

Asia Cup final was the worst of the worst. Never brought pacers on when they were 5 down. Saved them for the end.
 
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Pakistan is wasting time by continuing to stick with this guy as captain. Tendulkar was smart enough to realize his limitations. He cannot improve and learn any further and his Karachi Kings stint was enough to show he has zero leadership qualities and abilities to uplift a side and get the best out of them. To make it worse, the PCB has given him so much unchecked power and a team management with zero authority to challenge him.
 
You know things are getting bad when people start referring to your star player as "this guy" instead of saying his name.

Babar is quickly losing everyone's respect not only as a captain but as a player as well even if that is just T20.

Absolutely awful as a T20 batsman yet he continues to play and play, talk about one of the worst ever.
 
Early days since he’s young, but so far not impressed. pedestrian effort as captain strategy wise.
 
His bowling changes were tremendous today...Playing X1 was wrong...should have had 1 more seamer
 
What was he thinking by giving Nawaz the 20th over today?
 
What was he thinking by giving Nawaz the 20th over today?

He boxed himself into a corner Saj playing only three seamers (one of them not 100% matchfit) on a green-tinged MCG surface.

We needed a 4th seamer as an insurance. I'm also certain Mohammad Wasim would offer more with the bat than Asif Ali.

Instead he left himself with no choice but to bowl Nawaz in the final over - unsurprisingly he cracked under pressure of the occasion.
 
he did the same thing in Asia Cup if i remember correctly.

the guy doesnt learn, nor does he understand. Even if Nawaz was getting smacked, finish him off before the 17th over. I have seen enough cricket to say that spinners can often bow under pressure or mess up things in the last over.

even when India needed 50 off 3 overs, could had bowled him17th over. Even if he went for 20 runs, 30 off two overs could had been defended.

But Babar being Babar is not gonna learn. I have given up on critisizing him. Just gonna celebrate whatever he does now. There is just no point in arguing.

The guy is gonna stay like that, and we can whine all about it.
 
The only poor in-game decision he made was not bowling Nawaz in the penultimate over, or the over before. Might as well have gotten him out of the way after pressure was built and let Rauf focus on defending a concrete target

The problem is with his batting, he’s timid and a mental midget. Take any big game with pressure, chances are he won’t perform in it, at least in the T20 format. What Kohli & Pandya did today, from the position they were, I’d never back any combination of Pakistani batsmen to do, least of all Babar.
 
Pakistan lost due to Kohli's greatness mainly. All blunders by Pakistan in this match were within the margin of routine / tolerance apart from Nawaz's over and Shaheen's last over. Those could definitely have been handled better and Pakistan would have won. Too many bad balls in those 2 overs.
 
Captained well today and came within a over of winning. We were a pacer short, the extra spinner wasn't needed but Nawaz had done well in UAE against Ind, he had to play and that cost us the match
 
The captaincy and bowler management was appalling today, after Nawaz got plundered for 20 it was obvious that he had to finish his quota under the least possible pressure, and saving him up for the final was precisely the opposite of that. Even at the best of times a spinner should never bowl overs 19-20. Even my Sri Lanka, with the best T20 bowler in the world bar none, Hasaranga, wouldn't ask him to bowl the last over
 
finally people are speaking about babars captaincy.

hafeez just went after him today
 
Poor captaincy again today.

Doesn't seem to read the situation well and keeps making the same mistakes over and over again.
 
Babar's captaincy was spot-on today. He made attacking decisions and I don't think his decision-making can at all, be faulted for today's result. Had he given Nawaz an over earlier and Kohli would have taken Nawaz for another 20 then people would be talking about what a defensive captain he is. And that would have been a defensive decision.

Fact is, Babar used his gun bowlers early because he knew that if Haris or Shaheen got the wicket of Kohli, India's chase was effectively over. Unfortunately, Shaheen was very off-color today and Kohli played one of the greatest T20I innings of all-time. If there were even 20 runs to defend in the final over, I think Nawaz would have been in far less pressure and the result could have been different.

But sometimes you have to tip your hat to the opposition as well. Kohli and India were absolutely incredible today and better than Pakistan in the most critical moments of the game.
 
Giving a 'part-time'-spinner the last over? Shabash

The "part time" spinner is your main bowler who is playing for his bowling skills...who else would you have bowled? Did we have any other "full time" bowlers? Or are you one of those who believe he should have bowled Nawaz out straight after he conceded 21? His bowling changes were on point for the first time today which proves he is learning.

The issue today was the fact that we went with only 5 bowlers...Had India not had a sixth bowler they would be in the same boat with axar bowling 3 more overs.
 
he did the same thing in Asia Cup if i remember correctly.

the guy doesnt learn, nor does he understand. Even if Nawaz was getting smacked, finish him off before the 17th over. I have seen enough cricket to say that spinners can often bow under pressure or mess up things in the last over.

even when India needed 50 off 3 overs, could had bowled him17th over. Even if he went for 20 runs, 30 off two overs could had been defended.

But Babar being Babar is not gonna learn. I have given up on critisizing him. Just gonna celebrate whatever he does now. There is just no point in arguing.

The guy is gonna stay like that, and we can whine all about it.

Don't agree at all.

In the Asia Cup he did the exact opposite. He took Haris Rauf off after Sri Lanka were 57-5 just so he could save his overs for the end. And he used Nawaz for only one over because he was scared of what their left-handers would do.

His captaincy today was very attacking. He used his fast-bowlers very well with the intention of getting wickets. Unfortunately, Shaheen just didn't show up with the ball and Kohli played an all-timer. The two sixes he hit off Haris Rauf were stunning shots. And that's where the match was won.
 
Giving a 'part-time'-spinner the last over? Shabash

Puttar what planet are you on?

Nawaz has taken out some of the biggest names in cricket in the past year or so. He is a big wicket taker. Anyone can have an off day
 
Babar's captaincy was spot-on today. He made attacking decisions and I don't think his decision-making can at all, be faulted for today's result. Had he given Nawaz an over earlier and Kohli would have taken Nawaz for another 20 then people would be talking about what a defensive captain he is. And that would have been a defensive decision.

Fact is, Babar used his gun bowlers early because he knew that if Haris or Shaheen got the wicket of Kohli, India's chase was effectively over. Unfortunately, Shaheen was very off-color today and Kohli played one of the greatest T20I innings of all-time. If there were even 20 runs to defend in the final over, I think Nawaz would have been in far less pressure and the result could have been different.

But sometimes you have to tip your hat to the opposition as well. Kohli and India were absolutely incredible today and better than Pakistan in the most critical moments of the game.

I saw it very differently.

Firstly, to go in with only three seamers on a wicket that had remained under the covers for the last few days was a big mistake. But for this Babar and the management take responsibility.

Secondly, you could see both batters were waiting to go after one of the spinners.. they had both bowled decently upto that point but it was far too risky to bowl that over from Nawaz at that stage.
It was always going to be the over over they go after and they did.
That was the time to bring on a seamer.

You can't give 6 or 7 overs consecutively against world class batters unless the ball is spinning and they're picking up wickets...

For me, and the friends I was watching the game with, that was the big turning point.
 
I saw it very differently.

Firstly, to go in with only three seamers on a wicket that had remained under the covers for the last few days was a big mistake. But for this Babar and the management take responsibility.

Secondly, you could see both batters were waiting to go after one of the spinners.. they had both bowled decently upto that point but it was far too risky to bowl that over from Nawaz at that stage.
It was always going to be the over over they go after and they did.
That was the time to bring on a seamer.

You can't give 6 or 7 overs consecutively against world class batters unless the ball is spinning and they're picking up wickets...

For me, and the friends I was watching the game with, that was the big turning point.

Disagree.

I thought the selection was absolutely on-point. Nawaz had a positive match-up against Kohli and Pandya. Both had a SR of under 100 against left-arm spin coming into this match. They didn't succumb to their weakness and instead played some brilliant cricketing shots against Nawaz that unsettled him and made him change his game plan. And for that, they deserve credit.

Nawaz made some costly blunders in the final over by bowling two wides and a no-ball. Which is inexcusable given the circumstances. Without those extras, he had bowled a fairly good over. But unfortunately, his nerves got the better of him, and he just couldn't deliver in that high-pressure situation. It's a game. It happens.
 
Puttar what planet are you on?

Nawaz has taken out some of the biggest names in cricket in the past year or so. He is a big wicket taker. Anyone can have an off day

Oye, tameez nal gall kar. Tennu purana poster samajh key teri itni tanqeed nahi kitti, jitni chawlan tu ehte marna eh.

You don't give a spinner last over against India. Doesn't matter how many big names he has taken out. I have nothing against Nawaz, I like him, but it was unfair to give him the last over. Besides he is not a front line spinner. He was already taken to cleaners in his third over and was very nervous.

The captain and team management messed it up by not playing fourth seamer and why didn't give the captain bolw Ifitikhar who already had his confidience going after a good fifty?
 
We filled our batting with all the katchra we had thereby sacrificing a pacer and we paid the price of it
 
The "part time" spinner is your main bowler who is playing for his bowling skills...who else would you have bowled? Did we have any other "full time" bowlers? Or are you one of those who believe he should have bowled Nawaz out straight after he conceded 21? His bowling changes were on point for the first time today which proves he is learning.

The issue today was the fact that we went with only 5 bowlers...Had India not had a sixth bowler they would be in the same boat with axar bowling 3 more overs.

When Nawaz went for 21 runs an over the captain should have shifted his focus towards Iftikhar who has more experince than Nawaz. As I said in many other posts today it was team management who messed up with Team selection today by not playing Mohammad Waseem instead of either Haidar or Asif Ali.

Again, he had the option of a 6th bowler, but he didn't use him. And against set Indian batsmen, especially Kohli it's very risky to go with a spinner in the last over.

When India were 4 down, captain started to take it easy, didn't go for a kill and paid the price in the end. Anyways now it's time to look forward and win the next maches.
 
Oye, tameez nal gall kar. Tennu purana poster samajh key teri itni tanqeed nahi kitti, jitni chawlan tu ehte marna eh.

You don't give a spinner last over against India. Doesn't matter how many big names he has taken out. I have nothing against Nawaz, I like him, but it was unfair to give him the last over. Besides he is not a front line spinner. He was already taken to cleaners in his third over and was very nervous.

The captain and team management messed it up by not playing fourth seamer and why didn't give the captain bolw Ifitikhar who already had his confidience going after a good fifty?

:)) alright Sultan Rahi sab
 
His captaincy is weak.

We really need a strong and astute coach alongside him. Someone with T20 experience.

At the moment him and Saqlain resemble tweedle dee and tweedle dum.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mohammad Hafeez "Babar Azam's captaincy is like a sacred cow that cannot be criticized. It's the third consecutive big game that we are seeing flaws in Babar captaincy, but we keep hearing that by the time he gets to the age of 32 he will learn" <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvPAK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/T20WorldCup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#T20WorldCup</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SajSadiqCricket/status/1584239808863301636?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2022</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mohammad Hafeez "In today's match, from the 7th over till the 11th over, when India were struggling for even 4 runs an over, why did Babar not fulfill the spin quota overs in that timeframe" <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/T20WorldCup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#T20WorldCup</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndvPak?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IndvPak</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SajSadiqCricket/status/1584241679262834688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Poor at times when making key and important decisions.

The Nawaz 20th over call was ridiculous and so horribly wrong.
 
Disagree.

I thought the selection was absolutely on-point. Nawaz had a positive match-up against Kohli and Pandya. Both had a SR of under 100 against left-arm spin coming into this match. They didn't succumb to their weakness and instead played some brilliant cricketing shots against Nawaz that unsettled him and made him change his game plan. And for that, they deserve credit.

Nawaz made some costly blunders in the final over by bowling two wides and a no-ball. Which is inexcusable given the circumstances. Without those extras, he had bowled a fairly good over. But unfortunately, his nerves got the better of him, and he just couldn't deliver in that high-pressure situation. It's a game. It happens.

Then I think I was watching a different game to you.
What I say was a wicket with pace and bounce where the fast bowlers from both sides did well.
It was wicket that was under covers for sometime, it had a greenish tinge and it was overcast.
In these conditions you simply have to have a fourth seamer.

As a a batsman when you know there are 8 overs of spin to come on this wicket, you set yourself up and then target a big over. We could see that coming from a mile off.

The over that went for 20 should never have been bowled. It should have been a seamer.
 
Poor at times when making key and important decisions.

The Nawaz 20th over call was ridiculous and so horribly wrong.

He should have stopped him at 2 overs.
Brought on a seamer... then it would have been 15/16 runs per over by the time Nawaz would have come back.

The big mistake was playing only three seamers
 
Wahab Riaz says Pakistan lost the match against India when Shaheen Shah Afridi was made to bowl the 18th over of the match.

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/0648tk" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>
 
Wahab Riaz says Pakistan lost the match against India when Shaheen Shah Afridi was made to bowl the 18th over of the match.

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/0648tk" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>

Wahab Riaz has a point knowing that Nawaz is due to bowl an over and we might lose it so why not try to have a large cushion for him by boiling your best bowlers Haris over Shaheen might not have made a big difference but atleast it might have triggered Pandya" wicket and don't forget out of 18 last deliveries Kohli faced 11 and scored 36 the rest there were 5 extras which means India managed only 7 from 7 deliveries of only Saqlain and Moyo have that attention to detail
 
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