CerealKiller
Staff Member
A couple thoughts before this match. The perfect representation of Babar's team is the fact they didn't even know who their designated Super Over batters are. Took them 10 minutes to figure it out, and then Fakhar didn't even take the strike, or face a ball, against a left-arm pacer. That's the level of tactical astuteness Babar Azam has. He bowled Shadab to Aaron Jones, who devours errant spinners (like Shadab is at the moment) and is weak against pace, despite Amir telling him to bring on Shaheen because it was reversing. He fostered a dressing room atmosphere hostile to younger batters like Saim and Azam, was caught on camera fat-shaming Azam during a practice drill (called him "gainda", a Punjabi insult), and it was clear he was giving them a chance only because they couldn't be overlooked on the basis of their PSL performances. At the end, of course, he and Rizwan were always gonna open. Against USA, when faced with tight bowling, they couldn't even rotate the strike, let alone utilise the Powerplay. The loss was thoroughly deserved, and to be honest a team run in this way doesn't deserve to advance beyond the group stage.
