Babar Azam has been immensely criticised for his captaincy during the series with questions on his selection for the playing XI, but he responded to it with a strong reaction.
Pakistan on Tuesday hit an all-time low as they lost by eight wickets in Karachi to suffer a humiliating whitewash on home soil, a first of its kind for the team. This was also the first time ever in Test cricket that Pakistan have lost four consecutive matches in a row. Babar Azam has been immensely criticised for his captaincy during the series with questions on his selection for the playing XI, but he responded to it with a strong reaction.
On Tuesday, the fourth day of the 3rd Test against England, the tourists required only 55 runs to win the match. England required just 67 balls to wrap up the chase, without the loss of any wickets, with Ben Stokes getting a half-century while Ben Duckett scored the winning run with a boundary.
“Yes it was very disappointing for us and even for me as a captain because we couldn’t apply ourselves. But the way England played, we should be appreciating that. We were also a bit unfortunate because our our main fast bowlers were not fit. There were a couple of debuts, they played well, but not execute in that fashion,” Babar said in the post-match presser after the loss.
When asked about the criticism around his Test captaincy, he said, “The second point which you mentioned, there is no such pressure. In fact, I enjoy that. And it does not affect my batting at all. It been an honour. I always try to give my best for the country. Pehle Pakistan, baki sab cheezein baadme (First comes Pakistan, then follows the rest).”
Babar Azam responds to a question about his role as Test captain.#PAKvENG pic.twitter.com/PSSvOzqqLE
— Grassroots Cricket (@grassrootscric) December 20, 2022
With the defeat, Pakistan slipped to the seventh spot in the World Test Championship points table. With Pakistan having five Tests line-up at home at the start of this month, two of which will be played against New Zealand, the Babar-led side had the chance to make the WTC final. But the humiliating series defeat has eliminated them from the race.
