AB de Villiers dropped his unfiltered verdict on the Babar Azam-led Pakistan team over their recent performances and management style.
Pakistan’s cricketing affairs continue to make waves all across the globe. Ahead of the third Test between Pakistan and England in Edgbaston, the touring side is under the spotlight over the significant changes that have been made to the roster. As Pakistan look to avoid a 0-3 sweep against England, former South Africa captain AB de Villiers has shared his unfiltered opinion of Babar Azam’s team, suggesting they lack both guts and fight to deliver at this level of the sport.
De Villiers also feels players in the Pakistan team are playing for their egos, rather than the demands of the situation, and are, hence, failing.
“I don’t often currently see a lot of Pakistan players individually being prepared to put in those extra hard yards. Especially with the batting unit. Not enough, what’s the word, guts. Fight. It doesn’t always have to be pretty. Lots of soft wickets, and that’s what it comes down to. It’s a decision that you make,” De Villiers said in a video on his YouTube channel.
“It’s sometimes ugly and terribly difficult to watch. If I played for my ego, I probably would have been a different player. It was always about how much character I could show out here today. It always felt like a threat to my character from the opposition. That’s the way I decided to play the situation,” he added.
For De Villiers, Test cricket remains the pinnacle of the sport, the format that demands the most from players. However, he feels that the character to deliver in this format is what Pakistani players are lacking.
“I always felt that Test cricket was a test of your character. That’s maybe what Pakistan is lacking at the moment. A bit of character, a bit of fight. An individual leadership group of four or five players who decide together, you know what, let’s be the leaders here and show the guys,” said the former Proteas skipper.
“Let’s be the example. Show the youngsters what it takes to win Test matches, ODIs, or T20s. Maybe that is the area they’re lacking in,” he added.