Ahmed Shehzad Slams Babar Azam, Accuses Him of Poor Leadership and Hindering Young Players

Ahmed Shehzad, a former Pakistan international batsman, has once again launched a scathing attack on Pakistan captain Babar Azam, accusing him of poor leadership and hindering the growth of young players.

Shehzad's criticism came on the heels of Pakistan's disappointing performance at the 2024 T20 World Cup, where they are on the verge of elimination. During an appearance on the Pakistan talkshow "Haarna Mana Hai" (Losing Is Not An Option!), Shehzad mocked Babar's tag of "King" by calling him a "Fake King."

Shehzad presented a humiliating comparison between his and Babar's T20 World Cup stats. Babar has scored 517 runs in 16 games at a poor strike rate of 112, while Shehzad has slammed 250 runs in 9 games at a strike rate of 126, including a century.

"I feel I could've done better than those stats. But your (Babar's) stats are worse than mine," said Shehzad. "You've faced 205 balls in powerplays in T20 World Cups, but you haven't managed to hit one six!"

Shehzad also accused Babar of sacrificing good performers in domestic cricket to adjust his friends in the team. He specifically blamed Babar for mishandling 22-year-old batsman Saim Ayub's development.

"It was your responsibility to take care of Saim Ayub's development, but now his career is over at such a young age. People are criticising Ayub after just 25 games," said Shehzad.

Shehzad urged Babar to take accountability for his and the team's poor performances. "The least you can do now is raise your hand, accept that you had the support and apologize for not being able to deliver a trophy for Pakistan," said Shehzad.

Tags: #AhmedShehzad, #BabarAzam, #PakistanCricket, #T20WorldCup, #PoorLeadership