‘Extremely ordinary’: Gautam Gambhir criticizes Babar Azam’s captaincy after Pakistan’s Asia Cup exit

Babar Azam’s leadership skills have come under intense scrutiny following Pakistan’s elimination from the Asia Cup 2023, a consequence of their loss to Sri Lanka on September 14. The match, which unfolded at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium, marked a virtual semi-final, with the victor set to face India in the final.

Opting to bat first in a rain-affected game reduced to 42 overs, Pakistan posted a competitive total of 252 for 7, largely thanks to Mohammad Rizwan’s unbeaten 86 off 73 balls and Iftikhar Ahmed’s 47 off 40. However, due to the application of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method, Sri Lanka’s target was adjusted to 252.

Despite Pakistan’s strong start, Sri Lanka clinched a thrilling two-wicket victory off the final delivery, propelled by Charith Asalanka’s unbeaten 49 off 47 balls. Critics, including former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir, were quick to highlight their dissatisfaction with Babar Azam’s captaincy. Gambhir described Azam’s leadership as “extremely ordinary,” taking issue with his field placements and tactical decisions during the critical closing overs of the game.

Gambhir remarked, “For me, extremely ordinary captaincy as well. There was a four-hit in Zaman Khan’s over mid-off and there was another four-hit in Shaheen Shah Afridi’s over over mid-off, and both those deliveries were slower ones.”

He pointed out that a simple adjustment in field placement could have made a significant difference, stating, “If you want to bowl slower ones, keep the mid-off fielder at long-off and bring the third man up. This is extremely simple captaincy. Imagine if you had 13 runs left in the last over, it would have been difficult for Sri Lanka.”

Gambhir believed that Azam should have prioritized building pressure over taking wickets, a strategy that could have potentially altered the outcome of the match. He said, “You were allowing the game to drift at one stage. You wanted to complete your sixth bowler’s quota. It doesn’t work out like that. When the partnership was developing between Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama, you should have brought on your main bowlers and tried to pick up wickets.”

In conclusion, Gambhir urged Azam to refine his captaincy skills in the ODI format, emphasizing that it differs significantly from T20 cricket and demands a more calculated and strategic approach.