NEW DELHI: Pakistan had a disastrous T20 World Cup campaign, facing early elimination after consecutive losses to the USA and India in the group stage. Despite scoring 122 runs in four matches, Azam faced severe criticism for his moderate strike-rate of just 101.66.
Former Pakistan cricketer Mustaq Ahmed, in an interview with Cricket Pakistan, compared Azam with Indian cricketing star Virat Kohli and defended Azam’s batting style.
“It’s his strength. Virat Kohli also takes his time, so does he,” he said. Barring the last two-three matches, Rohit Sharma has been scoring 20-25 runs. But there has been a change in intent in Babar’s matches. He has become more aggressive.
“If a player can improve this much, I think that’s enough. Other players also have a duty and role to run runs. If one player runs runs and the rest don’t run runs in the seventh-eighth over, there is a problem. This has been going on for three-four years. They (other players) run runs only when it doesn’t have a major impact,” added the veteran Pakistan spinner, stressing that Azam’s improvement in his game should be widely recognised.
Following the recent setbacks, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is prioritising strategic planning for upcoming tournaments and series. The PCB aims to tap the expertise of Jason Gillespie and white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten to chart out an effective strategy for the ICC Champions Trophy scheduled for February-March next year.
In the run up to this major tournament, Pakistan will face a stringent series of matches – five home Tests against Bangladesh and England followed by a white-ball tour of Australia. The team will then tour South Africa for a comprehensive series across both Test and white-ball formats.
Former Pakistan cricketer Mustaq Ahmed, in an interview with Cricket Pakistan, compared Azam with Indian cricketing star Virat Kohli and defended Azam’s batting style.
“It’s his strength. Virat Kohli also takes his time, so does he,” he said. Barring the last two-three matches, Rohit Sharma has been scoring 20-25 runs. But there has been a change in intent in Babar’s matches. He has become more aggressive.
“If a player can improve this much, I think that’s enough. Other players also have a duty and role to run runs. If one player runs runs and the rest don’t run runs in the seventh-eighth over, there is a problem. This has been going on for three-four years. They (other players) run runs only when it doesn’t have a major impact,” added the veteran Pakistan spinner, stressing that Azam’s improvement in his game should be widely recognised.
Following the recent setbacks, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is prioritising strategic planning for upcoming tournaments and series. The PCB aims to tap the expertise of Jason Gillespie and white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten to chart out an effective strategy for the ICC Champions Trophy scheduled for February-March next year.
In the run up to this major tournament, Pakistan will face a stringent series of matches – five home Tests against Bangladesh and England followed by a white-ball tour of Australia. The team will then tour South Africa for a comprehensive series across both Test and white-ball formats.
