Former Pakistan cricketer Ramiz Raja defends skipper Babar Azam after World Cup debacle

Former Pakistan cricketer Ramiz Raja has come out in full support of Babar Azam.

Pakistan cricket team skipper Babar has been criticised heavily after his side failed to qualify for the World Cup semi-finals. Pakistan managed to secure a fifth-placed finish in the World Cup standings. The former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief recently stated that it was difficult for Babar to lead the pack as the bowlers could not take wickets.

Raja also slammed PCB for not being efficient in building a solid team.

“[How can Babar, as a captain, lead the side when bowlers fail to take wickets with the new ball and start getting expensive],” Raja said on his YouTube channel.

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“And then they [PCB] would gather some ex-cricketers and ask them how to fix cricket? Who put them in charge (of the board)? Is their job just to huddle together and change the captain and the coaching staff and everyone would think they have taken a major step,” Raja asked.

Raja was also not impressed with the newly appointed interim chief selector Tauseef Ahmed. "The new chief selector that you’ve appointed, look at his old clips and how badly he has talked about Babar and Rizwan. You want your cricket to progress by appointing a 70-year-old who knows nothing about selection,” the 61-year-old said.

Pakistan’s performance at the World Cup was far from impressive. They kicked off the tournament with two back-to-back wins but lost the momentum soon. Due to some poor performances, Pakistan could not register a win in their next four games. As a result, Pakistan’s progression in the standings was halted. Pakistan did script a resounding comeback with two consecutive wins but it was too late for them to keep their chances of reaching the semi-finals alive.

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