Tanveer Ahmed has thrown his weight behind star batter Babar Azam amid criticism.© AFP
Former Pakistan pacer Tanveer Ahmed has thrown his weight behind star batter Babar Azam amid criticism over his poor form. Babar managed scores of 0 and 22 in the first Test against Bangladesh, a match which Pakistan lost by 10 wickets. While Babar's last century came on 30th August 2023 against Nepal in Multan during the Asia Cup, the player has been on the receiving end of some harsh criticism, especially with Pakistan failing to win games on home soil. However, Tanveer has defended Babar, and instead lashed out at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for making the star batter a scapegoat amid Pakistan's winless streak in the World Test Championship (WTC).
Taking to social media platform X, Tanveer slammed PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi and others for openly targetting Babar.
"Social media par dekh kar aesa lagta ha jaese pakistan cricket sirf babar azam ney he kharab ki ha board ka tou koi kasoor nahi ha kuch khuda ka khoof karo ager paise kamaney ka shok ha tou kuch babar ki tareef bhi karain na k sirf burai kar kay," Tanveer posted.
Social media par dekh kar aesa lagta ha jaese pakistan cricket sirf babar azam ney he kharab ki ha board ka tou koi kasoor nahi ha kuch khuda ka khoof karo ager paise kamaney ka shok ha tou kuch babar ki tareef bhi karain na k sirf burai kar kay
— Tanveer Says (@ImTanveerA) August 29, 2024
It was in December 2022 when Babar hit 161 against New Zealand in a Test in Karachi but since then he has struggled to get runs under his belt. He scored only 289 runs in the last 14 innings at an average of 20.64. In the two innings of the first Test against Bangladesh, Babar scored 0 and 22.
Bangladesh scripted history last week as the side registered its first-ever Test win over Pakistan. The Bangla Tigers handed a 10-wicket defeat to Shan Masood and co. to register the massive first in their cricket history.
"Never to make an excuse, it (the pitch) didn't play the way we thought it would. Also the weather it had been around in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, it rained around 8-9 days before the first day of play. Firstly looking at the pitch, we expected it to do a bit more. With three pace bowlers, they were gonna be pushed to the limit. At the end of the day, we got it wrong," said Pakistan captain Masood after the loss.