Mohammad Kaif Criticizes Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan for T20 World Cup Performance

Mohammad Kaif
Ex-Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif gave a detailed analysis of Pakistan’s limited-overs skipper Babar Azam, and wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan during the recently concluded  2024 T20 World Cup.

Mohammad Kaif analyzed the match conscientiously, and following the regularity of what he observed, he felt that both players were lacking in certain areas when performing. This was seen when Pakistan was knocked out of the tournament early.

Kaif complimented Babar Azam as the top run-getter for Pakistan in the competition: 122 runs in four innings with 40 as an average and strike rate of 101.66. However, he questioned the strike rate of Azam amid important moments, arguing it might have weakened Pakistan’s capability of putting immense pressure on the opponents or successfully chasing targets.

Criticism of Mohammad Kaif

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But criticism of Mohammad Kaif on Star Sports analysis brought the question of the propensity for true performance and balance in international T20 cricket to light. In his dissection, he highlighted how Babar Azam, as well as Mohammad Rizwan, had to work to ensure that they maintained stability while responding to the changes that come with the fifty-five format.

As for the future, perhaps Mohammad Kaif’s observations will help Pakistan think about the necessary changes and reconsider its strategies as the team sets sights on subsequent competitions, hoping for changes that will bring them back to the world superpowers of cricket.

Performance Analysis of Babar Azam

Among Pakistan, Babar Azam, highly recognized as one of the finest batsmen in the cricket team, scored the highest number of runs 122 in the T20 World Cup ties, four in total. His average of 40. 66 at a strike rate of 101. 66 was a testimony to his ability to build his innings, but Mohammad Kaif stressed that the team was lacking aggressiveness and energy in this format of the game.

Despite that, Mohammad Kaif raised concerns regarding the flexibility of Azam’s strike rate in a crunch situation and wondered how the Pakistan team could have set or chased the targets in specific circumstances.

Likewise, Mohammad Rizwan experienced the pressure with a tendency to be the team’s wicketkeeper-batsman. All in all, Rizwan was able to achieve 110 runs in four matches while having an average of 36. Sixty-six and a strike rate of ninety. 90.

While failing to produce a much-deserved hundred, Kaif came down hard on Rizwan for his tendency to not be able to up the ante and accelerate when the need was most felt in Pakistan’s specialized format of T20Is. When reviewing his work, Mohammad Kaif noticed that his assessment indicated that Rizwan’s failure to step up in pressure most probably caused a slowdown in the pace of Pakistan’s play-off matches.

Pakistan’s T20 World Cup Campaign

 

Pakistan had some good performances in the T20 World Cup, where the highlights were victories against Canada and Ireland, while on the downside were losses against the USA and their main rivals, India.

These defeats proved too dear, as Pakistan could not even move to the next level of the tournament and thus was eliminated in the group stage. The group stage, however, saw the elimination of Pakistan from the competition. Mohammad Kaif also noted that due to field weaknesses, which were seen on different occasions.

Especially when fielding against better teams and particularly when pressed for time, Pakistan has been easily exploited by various opponents.

Also Read: India’s Participation in ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Uncertain

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