As Virat Kohli played the knock of his life (82 off 53 balls), the equation came down to 16 runs off the last six balls. That was when Babar handed the ball to Mohammed Nawaz who almost got through the over before overstepping.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting feels that Pakistan skipper Babar Azam got carried away in the heat of the moment against India in the T20 World Cup clash in Melbourne.
As Virat Kohli played the knock of his life (82 off 53 balls), the equation came down to 16 runs off the last six balls. That was when Babar handed the ball to Mohammed Nawaz who almost got through the over before overstepping. The no ball was launched for a maximum by Kohli. At this point, Pakistan skipper lost his cool and rushed to the umpire to express his displeasure.
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He also celebrated aggressively when they managed to dismiss Dinesh Karthik off the penultimate ball. However, with just one required off the final ball, the spinner sent down a wide to which Ravi Ashwin shouldered his arms. India won the match to exact a sweet revenge to what happened in 2021 T20 World Cup.
“I must admit he looked like he got a little bit flustered at times at the T20 World Cup, certainly the game against India when things got really tight at the end. You could see a few of the senior players, Shadab Khan in particular, going over to him and trying to settle him down and just make him think a little bit clearer,” former Australia captain said.
His remarks came in the wake of ICC’s decision to award Babar as the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year.
Meanwhile Ponting continued: “But that’s the T20 game. Being a captain of the T20 team is never an easy thing to do, especially in a World Cup, and especially in a moment that was as big as that one was when things were getting really tight.”I’m sure with a bit more experience under his belt, like he’s done with his batting, I’m sure he’ll find the right way to lead and be a very successful captain of Pakistan.”
Babar accounted for 679 runs at a stunning average of 84.87 in the nine matches he played in 2022, registering eight scores of more than fifty, three of which he converted into hundreds.
Ponting said Babar is yet to reach his peak, adding that it’s ‘pretty scary’ to imagine how he would perform in his thirties.
“So I think Babar’s still got a little bit of improvement to come, which is a pretty scary thought with what he’s been able to do, pretty much across all three formats over the last three, four years. I love watching him play. I think there’s some room for improvement, let’s hope we see it.”
