Mohammad Amir hits out at Babar Azam after World Cup debacle

Islamabad, Nov 13 (Online): Former pacer Mohammad Amir believes that the system should not be blamed for Pakistan’s poor performance during the ICC World Cup 2023.
While speaking on Haarna Mana Hay, Amir said that he was unimpressed with Babar Azam’s captaincy and urged the latter to change his mind set.

“What is the system? It is not a wall. Five and six people have been given responsibility to run the Pakistan cricket. A captain is also one of them. In 1992 under Imran Khan, we won the World Cup, the system was same. In 1999 our team was a world beater, who reached the finals.

We won the 2009 T20 World Cup with the same system, we won the 2017 Champions Trophy under same system,” Amir said.
“Babar is captain for past four years. He has built his team on his own. Buttler is not part of our system, then why did England play so badly? Does the system in England also need a makeover? After 2015 debacle, Morgan said I want to play this brand of cricket, I want these 25 players.
“System remained the same, it is the captain, who changed his mindset. As long as captain’s mindset will not change, system can do nothing. Was it the system, who told him not to play Abrar Ahmed, or bench Fakhar after first match.”
The 1992 champions failed to make the semi-finals of the show-piece event in India, finishing their campaign with their fifth defeat in nine matches against holders England on Saturday.

Earlier, former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram had opined that the pressure of leading the side had affected Azam’s batting in the ICC World Cup 2023.
The 29-year-old only managed to score 320 runs at an average of 40 which included four fifties. He was Pakistan’s third-highest run-getter behind Mohammad Rizwan (395 runs) and Abdullah Shafique (336 runs).

Sultan of Swing, while talking on a local sports channel, remarked that Babar Azam has to forget about captaincy while he is batting.
“Yes, the captaincy pressure has had an effect on him and he looked stressed, during the Asia Cup as well as in the World Cup,” Wasim said.
“Captaincy pressure will always be there but when he is in the middle as a batter, he must focus there and how to get runs,” he added.