Hard-hitting batsman, Iftikhar Ahmed, has come out in support of Pakistan captain, Babar Azam, amid criticism regarding his leadership skills.

Pakistan failed to win a single Test at home under Babar’s captaincy in 2022 and recently lost an ODI series to New Zealand at home as well.

While speaking on a local media channel, the 32-year-old said that criticising Babar is akin to committing a sin.

"Everyone knows that there is no other player like Babar in the world," Iftikhar said.

"People criticising Babar should first see whether they are at a level, where they can comment on him. First, reach his level and become a cricketer like him, and then criticise Babar," he added.

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Earlier this week, Shadab Khan echoed similar thoughts about Babar and said that fans should understand the value of Pakistan captain and not unnecessarily criticise him.

“I think we are doing injustice with such a diamond. Pakistan has been blessed with such a big diamond. He [Babar] is even a bigger diamond than Kohinoor,” Shadab said.

“As a nation, we are not valuing Babar for what he is worth and are pressurising him. At the end of the day, he is also human. We should respect him the way the world respects him,” he added.