File image of Babar Azam (left) and Virat Kohli.© X (Twitter)
Legendary Pakistan batter Zaheer Abbas has joined the list of ex-Pakistan cricketers and pundits asking for Babar Azam to be dropped from the national side. Babar Azam's reputation has taken a big hit over the last year or so, after underwhelming performances - as a batter and as captain - in the 2023 Cricket World Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup. Abbas also rubbished comparisons between Babar and India stalwart Virat Kohli, stating that the difference in consistency between the two is huge.
"He (Babar Azam) should be dropped from the team if he's not scoring runs. He's our main batsman. If he's out of form, he should be out of the team," said Abbas, speaking at the Watch: Former Pakistan captain Zaheer Abbas says, "It should be five days. Traditional cricket should be there. If we are not playing traditional cricket, this is not cricket, is it? Look, the point is, if you are a good player, you don't mind playing any sort of cricket, whether… pic.twitter.com/ZAVekpoZEx— IANS (@ians_india) September 29, 2024 " target="_blank">Cricket Predicta Conclave.
Abbas refused to entertain comparisons between Kohli and Babar.
"The comparisons are pointless. Virat Kohli scores in every match, the other player (Babar) doesn't score in any match, so then how can you compare? The person who scores, he is the bigger player," said Abbas, as quoted by India Today.
After resigning from captaincy post the 2023 Cricket World Cup, where Pakistan failed to make the semis, Babar was surprisingly reinstated as captain ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup. There, Pakistan fared worse, failing to make the Super 8s after losses to India and co-hosts USA.
"The performance of PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) and the team is not that good," said Abbas.
Abbas also stated that maintaining the India-Pakistan rivalry on the big stage is important for cricket. Reports have circulated previously that India may not travel to Pakistan for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, instead asking for a neutral venue.
"If India don't come to Pakistan, that's no good for cricket. Maybe sometimes Pakistan can also refuse to go to India. But cricket without Pakistan and India playing together is not complete," said Abbas.