‘Hamaare saamne Virat Kohli hai’: Former Pakistan cricketer advises Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan to step down due to…

After the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the Asia Cup squad on Sunday, former fast bowler Tanveer Ahmed sparked controversy by arguing that if “respect” is their top priority, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, who were both excluded from the tournament, should follow Virat Kohli’s footpath and quit international cricket.

Babar was the No. 1 T20I batsman not long ago, having broken numerous records in the format. He even captained Pakistan in the T20 World Cup until last year, when the PCB reinstated him in the role. Rizwan was also part of the team that went through a disappointing group-stage exit in the USA. However, both players were left out of Pakistan’s two T20I series earlier this year and have now faced the same exclusion in the Asia Cup.

Tanveer Ahmed requests Babar and Rizwan to step down from International cricket

“Meri Babar Azam aur Rizwan say request hai ager ap log yeh samajhtey hain ap logon ke izzat nahi ha tou retirement ley lo international cricket say humarey samne virat kohli ke examples hain. @babarazam258, @iMRizwanPak izzat apney hath main ha (My request to Babar Azam and Rizwan is that if you feel your respect is not intact, then consider retiring from international cricket. We have examples of Virat Kohli in front of us. Babar and Rizwan, respect is in your hands),”he tweeted.

Following pressure from the BCCI, it was widely believed that Kohli abruptly announced his retirement from Test cricket in May. Rajeev Shukla, the vice president of the board, later clarified that Kohli made the final decision. “We are feeling the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. It was their decision to retire and the BCCI doesn’t tell any player to retire. It was their call,” he said last month.

Pakistan head coach asked Babar to improve his strike rate 

Pakistan white-ball head coach Mike Hesson said after the squad announcement that Babar was asked to improve his strike rate in the format, particularly against spinners, and put up impressive performances in Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL) later this year in order to push his way into the Pakistan T20I lineup for the World Cup the following year.

“There’s no doubt Babar’s been asked to improve in some areas around taking on spin and in terms of his strike rate. Those are things he’s working really hard on,” Hesson said.

“A player like Babar has an opportunity to play in the BBL and show he’s improving in those areas in T20s. He’s too good a player not to consider,” he added.

Tanveer also pointed finger on Fakhar Zaman, who suffered a left hamstring strain during the 2nd T20I on the recent West Indies tour but was still compelled to play for Pakistan in the Asia Cup.

“Was Fakhar Zaman forced into the team, or was he included to prevent Babar Azam from being selected? How did Fakhar Zaman get in?” he asked.

 

 

 

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