I want Babar Azam to be criticized: Abid Ali

Pakistan cricketer, Abid Ali, believes that skipper Babar Azam, widely regarded as one of Pakistan's most talented cricketers, should not be exempt from receiving constructive criticism on his performance.

In an exclusive interview with Cricket Pakistan, Abid spoke candidly about constructive criticism and how it helps a player evolve and perform even better. He also stated that criticism on Babar provides him with an incentive to maintain a competitive edge.

"It's good, Babar should be criticized. When he is criticized, Allah blesses him in a way that he scores without any stopping. Babar has played with me; he's also my junior - now he is a world-class player. Allah has given Pakistan such a star that there are no words to describe it. His [Babar] batting skills - it's always fun to watch him play. All commentators worldwide praise him; so do we. We can pray for him that Allah bestows him with health and that he may continue to perform for the Pakistan cricket team. If he doesn't perform in one or two matches, people start complaining that Babar didn't perform; even the ones criticizing him want him to perform," Abid said.

The 35-year reiterated that a player puts in sweat and blood to reach the international stages and doesn't deserve unnecessary bashing. His intention was centered around Babar's improved performance rather than negative criticism.

"A player who's playing inside needs to keep every aspect into consideration. Babar Azam also must think, and he does realize. If he's lacking somewhere, then he covers it up by scoring a hundred in the next match, and then everyone appreciates him. Cricketers propel themselves to the front after tons of hard work; they have struggled a lot. Criticism is easy, but as I said earlier, I want Babar to be criticized because then he delivers a performance. He performs exceptionally well and scores hundreds swiftly," he further added.

Babar is currently the captain of the national team in all three formats. With his excellent batting display, he notched up top positions in ICC ranking charts - being at number 1, 3, and 4 in ODI, T20I, and Test formats, respectively.