Moeen Ali dismisses the fuss about the T20I strike rates of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan

Babar and Rizwan played tremendous knocks [PC: Twitter]

Riding on a spectacular opening stand between Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan crushed England by ten wickets in the second T20I of the seven-match series on Thursday. Babar's scintillating ton and Rizwan's blistering half century helped the hosts hunt down the massive target of 200 with three balls to spare. 

The two mainstays of the Pakistani batting lineup received a round of applause from the standby English skipper Moeen Ali in the post-match press conference. 

The veteran England all-rounder glorified the heroic knocks from Babar and Rizwan, simultaneously terming the criticism about their strike rates as highly uncalled for. 

Here's how Moeen backed Pakistan's opening duo

"I know they get a lot of criticism about their strike rates, but I have never seen any issue with their strike rates. Sometimes the media puts pressure on the players, even when they are doing well. The two have been the best in the world over the last two-three years. They are so busy and hitting in different areas."

Babar Azam's resurgence brought a sigh of relief to the Pakistani camp. The stylish batter had an extremely underwhelming Asia Cup campaign, following which he was facing massive backlash from fans and the media. Therefore, his century last night must have boosted his morale and given him the confidence he needs to succeed in the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia. 

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