'Not Matured, Great...': Ex-Pakistan Captain Namedrops 'Rohit Sharma' In Advice To Babar Azam

With four defeats on the bounce, Pakistan's hopes of qualiying for the semi-finals of the Cricket World Cup 2023 hangs by a thread. On Friday, Pakistan suffered a heartbreaking one-wicket loss to South Africa in Chennai. Amid Pakistan's struggles in the ongoing Cricket World Cup, former skipper Mohammad Hafeez shared his views on Babar's leadership skills. Hafeez feels despite being in charge of the team for nearly three years, Babar lacks maturity as a captain, adding that it is too early to compare him with greats of Pakistan cricket.

"When it comes to Babar's captaincy, that maturity isn't quite there yet. He has been in charge of the team for three years and the tactical growth hasn't been there either. When he's called a great Pakistan player, then I have doubts over it. Those who say that probably haven't seen greats of the game - from Pakistan and around the world. Yes, he is a very, very good player. He is not great yet. He has to prove a lot of right things - and there are stages yet to come in his career. We are putting a tag on him before he's reached those stages. That's pressure on him, and when he's not able to perform in big tournaments, the load of expectations is so high, that people then deal it in a wrong way," Hafeez said on PTV Sports.

Giving the example of India captain Rohit Sharma, who is one of the top scorers in the tournament so far, Hafeez urged Babar to lead the team from the front, adding that he needs to bring aggression into his game.

"If Babar thinks that the pressure is getting the better of him or it has affected his game, then he has to make the whether he wants to continue like this or finish his career like of some of Pakistan's greatest players. Right now, he is the captain of Pakistan, so it we should back Babar. But, he has to improve his game, in terms of aggression. Rohit Sharma has been successful because he is leading from the front," he added.

Topics mentioned in this article

Pakistan Cricket Team India Cricket Team Babar Azam Mohammad Hafeez Rohit Sharma World Cup 2023 Cricket