Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria believes the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022 could be the last chance for Babar Azam to prove his mettle. The ex-leg spinner of Pakistan feels Azam could lose his captaincy if the team fails to perform in the T20I showpiece.
Pakistan recently made it to the final of the Asia Cup but they were beaten by Sri Lanka. The Men in Green had a good run in the previous edition of the T20 World Cup as they were able to make it to the semifinal stages but were knocked out by eventual champions Australia.
Meanwhile, Babar Azam was not in the best of forms in the Asia Cup as he could only score 68 runs in six matches at an average of 11.33. Thus, the right-hander will look to turn the tide in the upcoming series against England.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Danish Kaneria said: “Babar Azam is out of form. Several questions have also been raised about his captaincy. I think this will be his last chance as captain. He will be under tremendous pressure because if this team doesn’t do well, it will lead to his exit as captain. He is undoubtedly a great player. However, I don’t feel that he has backed the right team.”
Meanwhile, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are known to take their time in the first six overs. Rizwan has a strike rate of 127.08 in T20Is while Babar Azam has a strike rate of 128.81 in the shortest format of the game.
Mohammad Rizwan was the leading run-getter of the Asia Cup with 281 runs in six matches but he had a strike rate of 117.57, which didn’t help Pakistan, especially in the final. Kaneria added that the strike rate of these two top-order batters is a concern.
“Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam’s strike rates at the top are a concern. They haven’t been able to utilize the field restrictions early on and have failed to set up a platform for the other batters. Babar can’t just think about his own batting but should keep the team at the forefront.
“He must understand that if he isn’t able to score as an opener, then some other player should replace him at that position. He can drop himself down to the No. 3 position. They can try this out against England as Rizwan has been rested for those matches.”
Kaneria added that Pakistan even struggled against the depleted Netherlands and they haven’t looked convincing in the recent past.
“The selector said that this team has been doing well consistently. But we lost to Australia at home and then lost to Sri Lanka twice at the Asia Cup. They struggled even against the Netherlands.
