After Peshawar Zalmi’s unexpected early exit from HBL PSL 10, Ahmed Shehzad has stepped forward to defend captain Babar Azam, pushing back against criticism directed at the star batter.
In a post on X, Shehzad emphasized that cricket is a team sport and blamed the collective performance for Zalmi’s downfall rather than singling out Babar. He called out the narrative that unfairly targets individuals when the whole squad is responsible.
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Zalmi lost a rain-affected, must-win game to Lahore Qalandars by 26 runs, ending their playoff hopes for the first time in the tournament’s history. Despite a solid opening in the chase, Zalmi collapsed to 123 for 8 while chasing a revised target of 150 in 13 overs.
This marks a disappointing end to a previously consistent franchise. Peshawar Zalmi, champions in 2017 and four-time finalists, ended this season with four wins, six losses, and a net run-rate of -0.293.
As the PSL playoff race heats up, Shehzad’s show of support highlights the pressure on team leaders and the need to evaluate performance beyond just one name.
