'I told Babar, 'don't even think that...': Ramiz Raja reveals his blunt remark to Pakistan captain over lack of runs

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ramiz Raja has revealed he talked to Babar Azam over his lack of runs in the 2022 Asia Cup.

Pakistan qualified for the final of the Asia Cup 2022 in dramatic fashion on Wednesday night, beating Afghanistan by one wicket in a thrilling contest in Sharjah. The Babar Azam-led side was reeling at 118/9 with an over remaining in the 130-run chase, when Naseem Shah smashed Fazalhaq Farooqi for two successive sixes to seal an incredible victory for the men in green. Pakistan will take on Sri Lanka in the final of the continental tournament but despite the euphoria of the win, there's a major concern for the side – Babar Azam's lack of runs.

Babar Azam; Ramiz Raja(ICC/YouTube)

The Pakistan captain, who came into the Asia Cup with a brilliant run of form, has failed to make an impact in any of the side's four games in the tournament. His scores read 10, 9, 14, and 0 and former Pakistan cricketer and PCB chairman Ramiz Raja revealed that he talked to Babar amid his lack of runs in the Asia Cup this year.

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Ramiz revealed that he held a zoom call with the Pakistan team before its match against India and also talked to Babar about his rough patch in the tournament.

“I talked to him (Babar) just a day or two days ago. When I see his record and my record, I find it a little weird while giving him advice. But I'm the chairman of PCB... what I've learnt from my one year in administration is that you have to keep your hands off. Sometimes, you might think you should interfere in everything just because you have played cricket. But if you have delegated responsibilities to certain individuals, you can hold them accountable,” Ramiz told mediapersons during an interaction on Thursday.

“But I did have a zoom call with the team before the match against India. I shared my experience, told them what they needed to defeat India. I encouraged them to fight. As far as Babar Azam is concerned, see, T20 is a very fast format so you might find it difficult to come back to form at times. But I don't think he needs to worry about that.”

Ramiz also revealed that he urged Babar to not remain under the conception that he has gone out of form. “He's a great player. I talked to him, told him 'don't even think that you are out of form'. Because I know he will come back strongly,” said Ramiz.

Babar Azam will return to action later on Friday when Pakistan take on Sri Lanka in their last Super 4 game; both sides will have a rematch on Sunday night in the final of Asia Cup.