Shoaib Akhtar lashes out at Babar Azam for playing slow innings, lauds Virat Kohli

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has slammed Babar Azam for playing a slow brand of cricket in the second T20I game against South Africa. Akhtar called out the Pakistan skipper for scoring just 50 off 50 balls at a strike rate of 100 as wickets kept falling on the other end. Akhtar said Pakistan batsmen need to retrospect and think what players like Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle would do if they find themselves in a similar situation. The former Pakistani quick advised Babar Azam to improve his strike rate in T20 cricket. 

Akhtar, while speaking to PTV Sports, asked why Babar Azam continued to play a slow inning as wickets kept falling on the other end. Akhtar further added that Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, or even for that matter Aiden Markram, would never do that. He said that Markram faced a similar situation as wickets were also falling on the other end as he was batting for South Africa, but he never went into a shell and continued hitting boundaries at regular intervals. Akhtar is considered one of the biggest critics of Pakistan cricket.

Pak pacer suggests Babar better than Kohli

The latest comparison between Babar Azam and Virat Kohli comes days after former Pakistan bowler Aaqib Javed said the Indian skipper, who is currently the world’s number 1 batsman, needs to improve his technique by watching his Pakistani counterpart. Aaqib’s comment stirred a big controversy across the cricketing world as he garnered a lot of criticism for his comparison of the Indian great to Pakistan’s emerging superstar, who still has a long way to go before he could attain Kohli’s level.

Aaqib recently compared Indian speedster Jasprit Bumrah to Pakistan’s emerging fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi. Aaqib, while speaking to Cricket Pakistan, said that Shaheen Afridi is a better bowler with a new ball than Jasprit Bumrah, but added that the Indian quick is far more effective in the death overs.

(Image Credit: PTI)