New Delhi: For Pakistanis, there is only one culprit for the team’s 60-run loss against New Zealand in the inaugural match of ICC Champions Trophy—Babar Azam.
Azam managed to script history but no one is happy. His unique half- century has collectively angered the country— “Babar Azam is the SOAT (shit***st of all time)”. He scored the slowest ODI fifty and fans cannot get over it.
“Babar Azam, the lone warrior, bravely fighting against all odds; his teammates, the required run rate, and common sense. A heroic 64 off 90 while chasing 320. Shakespeare couldn’t write this tragedy,” an angry fan wrote on X.
The host’s performance has left even experts disappointed. The team was bundled out for 260 while chasing New Zealand’s 32o.
“Pakistan is playing a different kind of cricket, not the ones other teams are playing. It is a disappointing start,” former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar noted sarcastically.
Babar Azam’s “painfully slow innings” dominated the criticism around the loss. Azam scored 64 runs off 90 deliveries and took 81 balls to reach his half-century.
“Pakistan played 27 overs of dot balls. Babar Azam had around 9 overs in his innings as dots which is 30% of the total dot balls in the innings. For God sake! We must not overhype him anymore. We need to stop normalizing mediocrity!!” X user Moiz Ur Rehman said.
Most Pakistanis echoed Rehman’s sentiment. Angry fans are assured that Babar Azam might be good but would never have a legacy of his own.
“The wheels are finally coming off the BABAR AZAM HYPE TRAIN! Year after year, world event after world event, evidence that Babar is very second tier piles up. Unable to perform in big pressure. He’ll still end up with great stats. 60-70 hundreds across formats but little legacy,” a person wrote on X.
In a viral video, a man was seen complaining how he got a sore throat cheering for Azam, while all that the cricketer could do was “tuk tuk cricket”.
Also read: No Indian flag at Karachi stadium causes uproar. Pakistanis say ‘well played PCB’
Intent, or the lack of it?
While some criticise Azam as a symbol of the team’s failure, others argue that the blame is unfairly placed solely on his shoulders. One fan sarcastically remarked that if they ever ran into Babar Azam in Lahore, they’d hope he’s wearing a helmet.
Pakistani sports analysts are now questioning Azam’s ‘intent’ as a team player.
“Today, he scored a fifty and seemed content with his performance, but Pakistan lost the game. If he had played with more intent and his knock had helped progress the game, it would have been valuable. But this half-century ultimately cost Pakistan the match,” former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez told PTV.
“Was this a test tournament? If a player cannot play a sweep shot, he is not suited for international cricket. He has brought shame to the country, batting cluelessly. A club team in Karachi could have chased it,” cricket journalist Muhammad Furqan Bhatti said on his YouTube show.
While some expressed frustration and anger at Babar’s performances, others called for a more balanced approach, urging fans to acknowledge the entire team’s flaws and not place all the blame on one player.
“I am not defending any player, but it’s unjust to single out and criticize Babar alone. Haris Rauf conceded 83 runs, Shaheen gave away 68 and went wicketless. Saud, Tayyab Tahir, and Rizwan also failed. This is not new, when Pakistan loses, all criticism is directed at Babar Azam,” an X user wrote, adding, “I am not saying that you should stop criticizing Babar. The innings he played was pathetic. However, it’s equally important to hold others accountable.”
Some fans believe Babar’s position as the top-ranked ICC player is undeserved, with one commenter labeling him an “incompetent cricketer”.
“The biggest fraud with us is that the ICC rankings have given the permanent number one position to an incompetent cricketer, Babar Azam. This number one position has also ruined our team. A player like Babar Azam could not even play club cricket in Australia or England,” Shuaib Rehman wrote on X.
The harshest critique came from fans who blamed Babar for the collapse of Pakistan’s cricket scene, feeling that his presence has killed the enthusiasm of fans.
“…I used to love watching Pak cricket matches but haven’t watched for a long time now. Interest in cricket diminished because of this moron filthy s**t,” Syed Taimour Haider complained.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s next match with India is a do-or-die clash on 23 February.
Shoaib Akhtar is hopeful, yet cautious.
“I hope Pakistan plays in the offence with India. Don’t play like this. Looks difficult against India but I am hoping for the best,” he said.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)
Pakistanis may slam Babar Azam. But Indian citizens living in the Kashmir Valley absolutely adore him. He is King Babar for the Kashmiris.