"Throwing blame on a single player will not solve the problem" - Mohammad Hafeez defends Babar Azam after Pakistan's Asia Cup 2023 debacle

Mohammad Hafeez. (Image Credits: Twitter)

Former Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez has thrown his weight behind Babar Azam, citing the national team's failure to win Asia Cup 2023 as a collective one. Hafeez believes blaming one player for the loss will not solve the team's issues.

Pakistan were the most in-form team ahead of the six-nation tournament, having swept the ODI series against Afghanistan 3-0. However, their wheels fell off in the Super 4 stage as a 228-run drubbing against India put them on the brink of elimination.

The Men in Green crashed out of the tournament after a two-wicket loss to Sri Lanka.

During a media interaction, the 42-year-old stated that Babar should be backed as captain till the 2023 World Cup.

"If you don't give credit only to the captain for reaching the final, then don't blame the defeat only on the captain. Throwing blame on a single player will not solve the problem. Babar should be fully supported for the World Cup and think about changing the captain after the World Cup."

Babar, who started the tournament as the No. 1 ranked batter in ODIs, couldn't live up to expectations. While the 28-year-old started with a dashing 151 off 131 deliveries against Nepal, he managed only 56 runs in the next three games.

"It will be a challenge for this team to play in India" - Mohammad Hafeez

Pakistan cricket team. (Credits: Twitter)

Hafeez lamented the faulty planning of the Pakistan think tank for Asia Cup 2023 but backed Babar's men to do well in the World Cup. He added:

"We failed in the Asia Cup and we have to accept that. Only when we accept failure will we move towards improvement. There must have been mistakes in our planning as these players have been in the national side for the last two to three years.