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[EXCLUSIVE] "You don't treat a hero the way PCB has treated Babar Azam": Mirza Iqbal Baig

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MenInG

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Renowned Cricket journalist Mirza Iqbal Baig speaks with Saj for PakPassion about whether Babar Azam was pushed to resign as skipper or did he walk away himself, the powerful lobby which has been out to get Babar Azam, Zaka Ashraf's continued struggles to manage PCB's affairs in an orderly way, how Mickey Arthur and Grant Bradburn were given the cold shoulder by Zaka Ashraf at their meeting in Lahore, PCB in turmoil after controversy after controversy, how political interference is damaging Pakistan cricket and why he feels that Babar Azam should not be solely blamed for Pakistan's World Cup performance and the PCB has to take their fair share of responsibility also.

 
Savak said:
Lol people are soft. Babar Azam got exactly what he deserved. The country gave him the highest honor and he chose to abuse his powers as captain. He was rightfully shown the door by the PCB.
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This. Babar made a big mess. Even as a player he has been exposed.
 
HERO? excuse me what have babar achieved as of yet specially in last 4 years as captain let alone a wc we couldnt even beat sri lanka in last year asia cup final. And after seeing his performace in last 2 world cups and 2 asia cups he is a nothing player and a proper bottler got what he deserved after kept on backing his useless buddies
 
Savak said:
Lol people are soft. Babar Azam got exactly what he deserved. The country gave him the highest honor and he chose to abuse his powers as captain. He was rightfully shown the door by the PCB.
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he deserved a sack he's lucky they let him resign.
 
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This hero nonsense makes zero sense? It's the same when people claim misbah is a Hero?

Bhai to be a hero you have to win games, win cuos and win the respect of the nation.

Babar has neither whereas other players have these aspects.

Williamson hasn't won a cup but the whole dug out respects him and so does his country.

Kohli gets respect because his bat does the talking.

Dhoni and sharma get respect for very obvious reasons.

Babar has underachiever with the bat. He isn't the worst bat, he's alright but he has underachived and his stint as a captain has been pathetic if you remove the b and c string play thrashing.

That's not a hero lol. Hero is a massive status same way atg is a massive status.

Don't throw the word around randomly cause next thing you know, shan Masood will be called a hero and an atg
 
Once again with the “hero”, “king”, “prince”, “president” garbage.

This guy would just be a good batsman in any other team. Yet is treated like royalty here.

You people set him up for failure by treating him like this. Unnecessary praise and pressure.

You can still glaze him as a player though, don’t worry. It’s not like he got kicked out of the team lol.
 
These Pakistani "intellectuals" will write rhapsodies & essays for the fake king but will completely ignore a genuine warrior like Fakhar. Without the king nothing changes in this wc without Fakhar they end up somewhere between 8/9 & potentially embarrass themselves as pure lollypop host participant in the 25 ct. Without Fakhar the only world trophy in last 14 years doesn't stand even on the toe, without the king they still end up winning it.
 
Babar aur Hero?? 1 CT, 2 50 Overs WCs, 3 Asia Cups, 2T20 WCs. In these 8 major tournaments, Babar has played hardly 1-2 match winning innings and this gentleman is saying ki "Babar ke khilaf sazish ho rahi hai", "Babar ke peeche lobby lagi hui hai", "Babar ne 320 runs kare is WC me"

In addition Babar lost 2 test series at home against Australia & England and failed to win even a single test match at home. For test series defeats I blame PCB for worst pitches. The biggest problem I have observed in Babar is that in last 4 years neither he has improved as a batsman nor as a captain. Every professional these days evolves himself with experience and takes his game to next level but Babar actually declined
 
zaidihusain said:
Babar aur Hero?? 1 CT, 2 50 Overs WCs, 3 Asia Cups, 2T20 WCs. In these 8 major tournaments, Babar has played hardly 1-2 match winning innings and this gentleman is saying ki "Babar ke khilaf sazish ho rahi hai", "Babar ke peeche lobby lagi hui hai", "Babar ne 320 runs kare is WC me"

In addition Babar lost 2 test series at home against Australia & England and failed to win even a single test match at home. For test series defeats I blame PCB for worst pitches. The biggest problem I have observed in Babar is that in last 4 years neither he has improved as a batsman nor as a captain. Every professional these days evolves himself with experience and takes his game to next level but Babar actually declined
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I was comparing Babar's technique in 2019 and now in 2023. He is more crease bound now, his feet don't move that well, his fitness has also declined which explains his poor conversion rate.

Now i am hoping he won't be an automatic selection in the T-20 and ODI format so that he is under pressure to reinvent himself in the shorter formats.
 
Idk which other way he was supposed to be treated… your captaincy was on the line for a while now. You lost on a semi-final berth in the World Cup exactly the same way as 4 years ago - having learned no lessons. Captaincy hasn’t improved over his term.

He wasn’t going to get a tribute match as captain.. he’s still an active player and one of our best. Move on.
 
Disagree

Babar Azam was the front man for those who wanted to transform Pakistan cricket into an organisation that places friendship and nepotism over merit and performance. His 3 years as captain destroyed the careers of many and made us the laughing stocks of world cricket.

I would empathise with Babar if he tried to right his wrongs and give back the power to those who deserved it, however it's clear that he was a willing party to everything going on behind the scenes and as such he gets what he deserves
 
While I feel bad for Babar, some of his fans act like captaincy of the Pak team is Babar's right, rather than his privilege. Plenty of captains in the past from various teams have been sacked due to below average performance in World Cups.
 
How have we not treated him well? He was the captain of all formats for 4 years. We stood with him through all the ups and downs. We supported him like crazy. Even when he returned from India after the World Cup, people welcomed him wholeheartedly.
 
Babar Azam's record as captain - his record wasn't that bad, was it?

tmOLpWI.png
 
MenInG said:
Babar Azam's record as captain - his record wasn't that bad, was it?

tmOLpWI.png
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This Is why I said I hate the stats argument. Babar on paper for the future generations will go down as the greatest Pakistani captain and batsmen in history to never win an icc world cup, but everyone alive, will know that teams didn't travel due to Pakistan's stubborn reluctance to hold everything in Pakistan.

Teams didn't want to come and these pindi easy pitches where babar is Bradman didn't help.

we should have been humble, kept out mouth shut and played in uae with A string and if that happened alongside merit based selection we wouldn't be a 2023 tournament embrassment
 
MenInG said:
Babar Azam's record as captain - his record wasn't that bad, was it?

tmOLpWI.png
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I don't think anyone is doubting his batting credentials most of the time.

But his captaincy has left a lot to be desired.
 
The fact we went to India with the worst spinners in the tournament is on him because everyone knows that Imad and Abrar would have done a much better job.

The fact that he couldn't juggle the responsibilities of being the captain and the team's most important batsman is also on him - because as difficult as it is, it's ultimately his job to perform in both facets of the game.

But he has also been quite unlucky. Naseem's injury, the almost complete lack of swing during all of our matches, the illness that spread through the squad in a claustrophobic bubble, Haris Rauf's loss of form etc etc.

Ultimately, it's become pretty obvious that Babar doesn't have the temperament to captain a side like Pakistan. He's quite susceptible to pressure and his own skills, which the team relies on to get results, deteriorate with the added responsibility of leading the team.

I think stepping down will give him a new lease of life to just go out there and enjoy batting.
 
MenInG said:
Babar Azam's record as captain - his record wasn't that bad, was it?

tmOLpWI.png
Click to expand...

Just looking at the numbers alone is not enough. You have to break down in terms off

How many wins against minnows?

How many wins against C, D sides of the Top 4 teams?

How many wins or losses against the A sides of the Top teams?

How many victories were dominant vs close victories?

What is his ODI and T-20 Strike Rate?
 
Savak said:
Just looking at the numbers alone is not enough. You have to break down in terms off

How many wins against minnows?

How many wins against C, D sides of the Top 4 teams?

How many wins or losses against the A sides of the Top teams?

How many victories were dominant vs close victories?

What is his ODI and T-20 Strike Rate?
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His captaincy is the only issue.

His personal performances look decent and he can recover his form soon
 
MenInG said:
Babar Azam's record as captain - his record wasn't that bad, was it?

tmOLpWI.png
Click to expand...

Wow, look at his averages in Tests and ODIs as captain. But still, he is an asset for Pakistan. I am sure as a specialist batter, he will do much more than this.
 
His performances are of someone in a team surrounded by heavy hitters who needs to anchor and even then doesn’t go all the way to a century and beyond. He does not lead from the front and has an extremely limited power game for someone that talented. While him and Rizwan should still be in that XI, the need for heavy hitting openers and more quality middle order and lower order batters is vital.
 
hass said:
His performances are of someone in a team surrounded by heavy hitters who needs to anchor and even then doesn’t go all the way to a century and beyond. He does not lead from the front and has an extremely limited power game for someone that talented. While him and Rizwan should still be in that XI, the need for heavy hitting openers and more quality middle order and lower order batters is vital.
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I think Saim Ayub can fill this power-hitting void.
 
Matthew Hayden in an interview:

"I have always sensed with Pakistan it's never to do with the actual leadership of the group itself. It's more just the overall game, having a structure that's conducive to a high-performance culture which is the most challenging element, I feel, for Pakistan cricket,"

"Whoever was doing the numbers clearly wasn't looking at them when it came to Babar's performances as non-captain and captain. He actually had far better numbers as a captain. We're talking an average of 50 plus more. So he was a natural leader, a good choice. I think they have potentially shot the gun a little bit early in terms of leadership capabilities. He's still a young player, a dominant player in world cricket. So I am a little disappointed and a little shocked about the reaction,"
 
FearlessRoar said:
How have we not treated him well? He was the captain of all formats for 4 years. We stood with him through all the ups and downs. We supported him like crazy. Even when he returned from India after the World Cup, people welcomed him wholeheartedly.
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Exactly. And even so, Babar is a big boy and he needs to learn to handle criticism appropriately.

A weak man whines and cries when he does not get the results he wants, ala Imad and Amir.

A champion works on every aspect of his game to shut the haters up by letting his bat talk for him.

Babar knows what he needs to do now and I am hopeful he will rise to the occasion.
 
Let's also remember that Babar stepping down is completely in line with what happens in world cricket. The shelf life for a captain of a test playing side is around 4-5 years. Babar has been in charge for just over 4 if I'm not mistaken.

Only Kane Williamson retained the captaincy for two consecutive world cups. Every other team changed their captains either due to retirement or restructuring.
 
Did PCB treat Babar badly? I don't think so.

He failed to win Asia Cup and did poorly in WC. He was rightfully removed.
 
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