"The same captain who made Pakistan team No.1" - Kapil Dev defends Babar Azam amid captaincy criticism

Former World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev defended Pakistan skipper Babar Azam amidst criticism of his captaincy in the 2023 World Cup.

Pakistan endured a dismal campaign, winning only four of their nine games and finishing fifth on the points table. It meant the side did not qualify for the ODI World Cup semi-finals for a third consecutive edition.

Babar also seemed to be weighed down by the captaincy pressure, scoring 320 runs at an average of 40 with no centuries.

Speaking on a YouTube podcast, as quoted by Cricket Pakistan, Kapil Dev reminded the critics that Babar only recently led the side to No.1 in the ICC ODI rankings.

"If you say that Babar Azam is not the right choice [for captaincy] today, it is because you are looking at just his current performance. He was the same captain, who made Pakistan team No.1 [in ICC ODI rankings] six months ago," said Kapil.

The former Indian captain urged experts and fans to not only look at current performances and jump to conclusions.

"When someone gets out for zero, 99 per cent of the people would want him to be dropped. If an ordinary player comes and scores a brilliant hundred, then they call him a superstar. So don’t look at just current performance. Look at how he has approached the game, how much passion and talent he has," added Kapil.

Pakistan reached the top spot in the ODI rankings during the Asia Cup, yet it has since been a downward slide. The side finished at the bottom of the Super Fours of the continental tournament before their dismal showing in the ongoing World Cup.

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"There's so much pressure on him that he may leave the job" - Ramiz Raja

Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja believes Babar Azam may become a victim of all the backlash over his captaincy and relinquish the role.

Ahead of the side's final game of the World Cup against New Zealand, reports stated that the star cricketer could step down from the leadership role in white-ball cricket.

In a conversation with BBC's Test Match Special, Raja said:

"There's so much pressure on him that he may leave the job. Back home there has obviously been a massive backlash, as expected. The Pakistan media have targeted certain players, and especially Babar Azam. It's just a World Cup so you have to take the heat somehow. The problem with this team is it has the potential to play modern-day cricket but they have been a bit shy and timid with their approach."

Despite the team's recent struggles, Babar boasts an impressive record as a captain, winning 78 out of his 134 games. He also led Pakistan to the semi-final and final of the last two T20 World Cups in 2021 and 2022.

Pakistan will now head down under to take on Australia in a three-Test series, starting in Perth on December 14.