Former Pakistan cricketers Abdul Razzaq and Sikandar Bakht have voiced their criticism of Babar Azam's batting approach in the ongoing Cricket World Cup, calling for him to exhibit more intent and emulate players like Rohit Sharma.
Sikander Bakht expressed his concerns about Babar Azam's performance, stating, "We kept talking about No. 1 batter in the World. I want to ask whether it helps in getting good contracts."
“Aisa lag raha class mey No. 1 and matric ke imtihaan mey fail (It looks like he excels as No. 1 in class but fails in the matric exam),” added Bakht.
Abdul Razzaq joined the criticism, asserting that Babar Azam is not a world-class batter and instead highlighted Fakhar Zaman as Pakistan's top batter.
Razzaq said, “No. 1 batter is Fakhar Zaman. All New Zealand batters were praising him. Our captain doesn’t have that class. Look at Rohit, he is ready to score 10 runs in the first over and then 15 in the second. Our captain has different playing style, but he should see what Rohit is doing."
Razzaq further emphasized that world-class players have the ability to change the course of a game, giving examples of legendary players from the past, including Matthew Hayden, Sanath Jayasuriya, Sachin Tendulkar, and Ricky Ponting.