Shoaib Akhtar is certain in his belief that Pakistan’s current captain, Babar Azam, is more suited to batting at position No. 3 in Twenty20 cricket. The team has been unduly dependent on the partnership of the captain and Mohammad Rizwan in terms of runs scored, even though the skipper has had success at the top of the order with Mohammad Rizwan over the last couple of years.
During their match against their bitter rivals, India, at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, the Men in Green did not do well with the bat, which contributed to their eventual defeat. In response to India’s tight bowling, Babar and Fakhar Zaman were both dismissed by short-pitched deliveries, and Rizwan had a difficult time reaching his score of 43.
Babar Azam said "Hardik Pandya finished so well for India in tough situation".
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) August 28, 2022
What did Shoaib Akhtar say about Babar Azam?
Akhtar, who thinks that the batting order should be altered so that Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam bat in opposite positions, said on his YouTube channel:
“The innings has to be built up throughout the middle overs by Babar, who should be batting at number three so that Asif Ali can come in and finish things off. Because the pitch was so conducive to bowling length deliveries, Pakistan should have adjusted their bowling appropriately.”
Even in the middle of their batting order, Pakistan sent their vice-captain Shadab Khan rather than their chosen finisher, Asif Ali. As a result of their poor batting performance, they were only able to put 147 runs on the board as we reached the halfway point of the match.
Rohit Sharma & Babar Azam with the Asia Cup trophy. pic.twitter.com/Q8VkhUQaSb
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) August 28, 2022
Pakistan was able to assert their dominance while defending the mark with the assistance of their new-ball bowlers, even though they scored a total that was below average on a somewhat two-paced surface.
The opening spell delivered by 19-year-old Naseem Shah in his debut T20I was one to remember. However, towards the conclusion of his stint, the child had severe cramping, and it was only by the skin of his teeth that he was able to finish it.
