Babar Azam not solely responsible for Pakistan's poor Test performances, says Misbah Ul Haq
Pakistan's former skipper Misbah Ul Haq said Sunday that he was disappointed over speculations around Babar Azam's captaincy, saying the way the player was targeted was not right.
Talking to reporters in Lahore, the former head coach Misbah said: “No matter who is the captain, a change should only be made after assessing things thoroughly. Decisions should not be taken just for the sake of putting pressure on others.”
The former chief selector added that Babar's comparison to Indian batter Virat Kohli is unfair as he has played way more cricket than the Pakistan skipper.
He said: “It is unfair to compare Virat Kohli with Babar Azam. Kohli has played a lot of international cricket, meanwhile, Babar has just started his career.
He added that the two batters should be compared when both of them have played the same amount of cricket. "Kohli's achievements are unmatchable at the moment,” says Misbah.
The 48-year-old lauded Babar's consistency with the bat, saying, “Babar is a classy player. His performance has been excellent so far and he is among Pakistan's greatest batters."
Misbah added, "Babar is among the top five players in the world, in terms of rankings, every year because of his quality.”
Talking about Pakistan's repeatedly bad recent Test performances, the former Test captain said, “Pakistan have done well in white-ball cricket but the same can’t be said about Test cricket.
However, he added, ” “Babar Azam is not solely responsible for Pakistan’s performance in Test cricket. There is a lack of planning and proper team selection in Test matches.”
Pakistan remained winless in the recent home Test season with a humiliating whitewash against England and two hard-fought Test draws against New Zealand.
Moreover, Pakistan also lost the three-match home ODI series against NZ earlier this month.
However, Babar Azam for his stellar performances throughout 2022 won the Sir Garfield Sobers ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year Award. He was also named the captain of the ICC ODI Team of the Year 2022 and included in the ICC Test Team of the Year.