Sri Lanka and Pakistan endured forgettable T20 World Cup 2024 campaigns, but their captains’ responses to the disappointment couldn’t be more different. While Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga took responsibility for his team’s struggles, Pakistan’s Babar Azam resorted to blaming the pitches in the United States.
Hasaranga schools Babar Azam!
Hasaranga, whose team finished third in their group despite a face-saving final win against the Netherlands, acknowledged the team’s shortcomings. “We didn’t make those changes and adapt, and that was our main flaw,” he said as per ESPNcricinfo. “When you lose a match you can blame pitches and other things, but as professional cricketers, that’s not a good thing,” This is a captain who understands that excuses won’t win matches.
In stark contrast, Babar Azam pointed fingers at everything but his team’s performance. He criticized the pitches, particularly the one in New York, claiming it was heavily influenced by the toss. He also took aim at inconsistent bounce, seemingly forgetting that both teams play on the same surface. Even the weather wasn’t spared his blame game. “I think we should have got better pitches. And secondly, the weather was bad,” Babar said after Pakistan’s recent win over Ireland.
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Hasaranga’s comments are a refreshing reminder that true leadership lies in taking responsibility. This is quite eye-catching after knowing the fact that Hasaranga has led Sri Lanka to just 10 T20Is as compared to Babar, who has stood as Pakistan’s leader for as many as 85 T20Is!
Babar Azam exemplifies a captain who struggles to accept blame and deflects responsibility. The contrasting captaincy styles were evident throughout the tournament. Sri Lanka, despite their early exits, showed glimpses of fight. Pakistan, on the other hand, looked devoid of ideas and lacked that spark. The team’s body language, unfortunately, mirrored their captain’s negativity.
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