File photo of Babar Azam© AFP
The Pakistan cricket team has come under a lot of criticism following their string of disappointing performances in the recent past. The Babar Azam-led side crashed out of the T20 World Cup 2024 following losses against USA and India. However, things got worse when they slumped to a humiliating Test series loss against Bangladesh with the hosts losing both the matches. Former Pakistan cricket team skipper Rashid Latif delivered a brutal verdict on the condition of Pakistan cricket and in a video doing the rounds on social media, he said that "Pakistan cricket is currently in the ICU".
"Pakistan cricket is currently in the ICU. They will need a professional doctor. They need technically sound professionals to run things, both physically and financially. Trainers and many other things are required. You can see there are many problems, whether it's on the field or off the field," he said.
Rashid Latif "Pakistan cricket is in ICU. It needs professional doctors" #Cricket pic.twitter.com/PwE0L5MGf3
— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) September 16, 2024
Latif also advised Babar Azam to move away from captaincy for the betterment of his game. Babar has not performed well in the past few international matches and the Pakistan captain has faced criticism from both fans and experts.
Latif cited the example of India legend Sachin Tendulkar and advised Babar to concentrate more on his game.
"We need to remember that he was removed forcefully as captain. When the mind is not functioning correctly, it affects the nerves as well. You try to play hard on every ball. He should let go of the idea of being a captain and focus on freeing himself from mental pressure. The issue seems to be more about mental stress than technical performance, and it's apparent that he is struggling to cope with a significant amount of mental pressure," said Latif.