Shahid Afridi and Gautam Gambhir’s verbal exchanges never tend to die down. The former skipper has issued a fresh jibe at Gambhir over Pakistan batter Babar Azam’s underwhelming form in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.
Babar has managed scores of 0 (against India), 4 (against Zimbabwe), and 4 (against the Netherlands) so far and has constantly been under the pump. Several experts have opined on the Pakistan skipper’s dismal form with the bat, including former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir.
Speaking on the host broadcaster during Pakistan’s game against the Netherlands, Gambhir said:
“In my opinion, first, you think about your team instead of yourself; if nothing goes according to your plan, you should have sent Fakhar Zaman up the batting order. This is called selfishness; as a captain, it is easy to be selfish.”
“You need to be very careful with words” – Shahid Afridi
However, the comments didn’t go down well with Shahid Afridi. peaking to Samaa TV, the former Pakistan captain responded with a suggestion to Babar. He also added that players are often subjected to criticism but that should be constructive and lead to an individual’s betterment.
“Tournament k baad koshish karenge Babar ko bole ki unke baare mein bhi kuch bole kyuki wo bhi toh ghar jayenge na. (During the tournament, we’ll try and tell Babar to say something about him. After all, he (Gambhir) will head straight back home to India too),” Afridi said.
He added:
“There is always criticism, but you need to be very careful with words. You should use words that should come as advice for the player, and you can make the people understand it as well. As far as Babar is concerned, he has given so many match-winning performances. The consistency with which he has scored, very few Pakistan batters have. He may not have risen to the expectations which is why he is facing some flak.”
Pakistan who are currently on the verge of bowing out of the ongoing T20 World Cup will lock horns with South Africa on Thursday, November 3.
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