KARACHI:Former Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez has come ahead in favour of the current captain, Babar Azam, saying the blame for the defeat in Asia Cup 2023 should not be put on the skipper only.
The Men in Green were knocked out of the race for the Asia Cup final after Sri Lanka defeated them in a last-ball thriller by two wickets at R.Premedasa Stadium on Thursday.
While talking to the media, Hafeez, nicknamed as 'The Professor', wants everyone to back Babar Azam before the World Cup, scheduled to start on October 5 in India.
"If you don't give credit only to the captain for reaching the final, then don't blame the defeat only on the captain. Throwing blame on a single player will not solve the problem," Hafeez said.
"Babar should be fully supported for the World Cup and think about changing the captain after the World Cup," he added.
Meanwhile, Hafeez wants the team to accept failure and move forward.
"We failed in the Asia Cup and we have to accept that. Only when we accept failure will we move towards improvement. There must have been mistakes in our planning as these players have been in the national side for the last two to three years," he maintained.
Hafeez mentioned that playing in India would be a challenge for the team as all the players will play in those conditions for the very first time.
"It will be a challenge for this team to play in India. The boys will have to play with courage but we should expect good results from this team," he said.
Hafeez, who is also part of the Cricket Committee, advised the PCB to appoint a spin consultant for big events.
"The performance of the spinners was very disappointing and they couldn't bowl well. Shadab Khan could not perform well and his performances are affected due to playing T20 leagues," he added.
It must be noted that Pakistan have not announced their official 15-man squad for the World Cup. The Men in Green will play two warm-up games against New Zealand and Australia before starting their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on October 6.
Atique ur Rehman Atique ur Rehman is a senior reporter for Geo News.- Babar Azam
