Babar Azam hits back at critics after Pakistan reach T20 World Cup final

Pakistan captain Babar Azam has hit back at the critics after his team stormed into the final of the ongoing T20 World Cup on Wednesday after a seven-wicket win over New Zealand. The Men in Green had copped a lot of criticism after they lost their first two Super 12s matches and criticism continued even after they stitched a winning run to reach the semi-finals.

Captain Babar and opener Mohammad Rizwan were also heavily criticised for being out of form. Experts also asked Babar to bat at No 3 instead of opening the innings in order to allow Pakistan have a good start. Babar and Rizwan, however, roared back to form in the semi-final as they both made half-centuries.

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After reaching the final, Babar reacted to the criticism of his team. He was asked if he ever thought to bat to No 3, to this Babar said: “Mere khyaal se zehen me aisa kuch nahi tha. Ham apne waqt ka wait kar rahe the. Ye cricket hai, aap koshish karte hain ki aap har match me perform karein. Par ups and downs chalte rehte hain. Tanqeed sab hi karte hain, ham achha bhi karte hain toh vo karte hain. Ye jeet aap enjoy karein, Pakistan me jo aawam hai, aur jo yahan pe crowd tha, vo bhi enjoy karein, aur jo TV pe baithe hain, vo bhi enjoy karein. (No, we didn’t think like that. We were just waiting for our time. You try to perform in every game but ups and downs are part of the game. Everybody criticises, even if we perform well. Now, just enjoy the win, Pakistan fans should enjoy this and those sitting on television channels should also do the same).”

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Babar also added that he is all okay with the criticism till the time critics don’t get personal.

“Agar aapko tanqeed kar raha hai… vo mujhe nahi, meri team ko kar rahe the. Har ek ka apna opinion hota hai, lekin personal nahi hona chahiye. Achhi tanqeed karenge toh har banda dekhta hai. Aap bhi karte hain, par aap har cheez ko dekhke karte hain. Personal hona… ham kuch nahi kar sakte. Bas enjoy karein ki ham final me pohoch gaye. (My team was being criticised. Everyone has their opinion, but you shouldn’t get personal. If it’s productive criticism, everyone listens. You also criticise us, but you see everything. We can’t do anything if they get personal. Let’s just enjoy that we have reached the final),” Babar said with a wry smile.

Pakistan will be playing the winner of the India vs England semi-final match in the final on 13 November.

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