Former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir has blamed Babar Azam for the Men in Green's collapse against India at the World Cup 2023 on Saturday in Ahmedabad.
Indian bowlers bundled out Pakistan for 191 at Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad. The Men in Green were 155-2 and faced a big collapse as they lost eight wickets for 36 runs only.
The No.1 ranked batter Babar Azam was the top-scorer, making 50 off 58 balls. He hit six fours and it was his first fifty in the seventh innings against India.
Mohammad Amir thinks Babar Azam should have charged after the fifty.
"Babar played all his innings under pressure and when the time came for a charge he couldn't," Amir said on Geo News during the innings break.
"The stature of a batter like him must have taken the innings along and we can't blame the middle-order batters because they (Babar and Rizwan) had set the stage," he added.
Amir also emphasised why he rates Virat Kohli ahead of Babar Azam as he always finishes the game.
"Why do I highly rate Virat Kohli because he takes the game on his own and finishes. It's a sign of a big player. The game went away when we lost Babar and Rizwan," he added.
It must be noted that India carried on to their fantastic form in the ICC World Cup 2023 and recorded a seven-wicket win against Pakistan.
Rohit Sharma, who scored 140 against Pakistan in the 2019 World Cup, showcased his batting skills once again and top-scored for the winning side with 86 off 63 balls. His rapid knock included 12 boundaries.
Other than the 36-year-old, Shreyas Iyer was the second top-scorer for the winning side as he contributed 53 runs.
The dominant batting display by the Indian batters saw the home side reach the 192-run target in the 31st over, with 118 balls to spare, massively improving their net run rate (NRR).
This was India’s record eighth win in as many matches against the arch-rivals in World Cup history.
- Mohammad Amir
