‘It’s not only Babar’s fault, the entire team….’ – Former Pakistan’s skipper makes huge claim after Pakistan’s ODI World Cup 2023 loss to Afghanistan

The Pakistan cricket team suffered a defeat against Afghanistan in their fifth clash of the ODI World Cup 2023 on October 23 at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Notably, Babar Azam and Co. have only two wins out of five in the marquee event, which currently places them in the fifth spot in the points table of the major tournament. Following the loss, a plethora of former Pakistani cricketers have started slamming Pakistan’s skipper, Babar Azam, over the loss against the frail team.

Meanwhile, former Pakistan’s cricketer Mohammad Yousuf came out in support of the 28-year-old skipper. The former right-handed batsman tried to console him by saying that the loss over the Shahidi-led Afghan side was not only the fault of the skipper. The legendary cricketer feels that the fault is with the team, and he stands with Babar Azam to support him.

“I heard Babar cried after the defeat against Afghanistan last night. It’s not only Babar’s fault, the entire team and management is involved. We are with Babar in this tough time and the entire nation is with him,” Mohammad Yousuf said.

We aren’t up to the mark because we are not taking wickets in the middle overs: Babar Azam

However, Pakistan’s kipper, Babar Azam, is deeply hurt after the three back-to-back losses in the ODI World Cup 2023, despite a strong start to their campaign. The 28-year-old skipper admitted that his side was not up to par as they were unable to pick the wickets, particularly during the middle overs. In addition, the top-order batsman felt that they were not good with their fielding, as they weren’t able to stop the boundaries.

“This hurts us. We had a good total. We aren’t up to the mark because we are not taking wickets in the middle overs. In the World Cup, if you are not good in even one department, then you’ll lose the match. In the field, we didn’t stop boundaries and gave away runs, which cost us. Bowling – we started well, in the middle overs, we needed wickets but we couldn’t take any wickets,” Babar Azam said.

Meanwhile, the Men in Green will be in an action against South Africa on October 26.