Imam-Ul-Haq Justifies Shahid Afridi's Controversial Remark On Babar Azam
Babar has been questioned by former cricketers [AP Photos]
Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi feels that the inability of Babar Azam to finish matches prevents him from being counted among the likes of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.
During a conversation on Samaa TV, Afridi stated that Babar Azam has yet to establish himself as a match-winner and that he would like to see him become a finisher.
Imam-ul-Haq, who was also present during the conversation, shared that there had been discussions in the team's dressing room about Babar Azam's inability to finish games, and that the Lahore batter is aware of them.
"I just want to add to something that Lala (Afridi) said. We've had discussions about the same thing, and Babar actually agrees. Babar knows that he has played so much cricket now, he should have dominance and command in such situations and finish the game. He understands that. He wants to finish and dominate.”
Imam further said that to reach the level of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, Babar needs to express himself more freely and work on his strike rate as well so that bowlers will be scared of him.
"To reach the level of Virat and AB, he has to work on his strike rate as well. After he reaches 50, he really needs to express himself so that the bowlers are scared of him. Right now, even if he's set, he's not a threat for bowlers. Once that finishing touch comes in his game, it will benefit both him and Pakistan immensely.”
Babar Azam, who is currently the world's best ODI batsman and a prolific Test player, has often come under criticism for his approach in the shortest format of the game and his inability to finish matches on his own.
The ongoing season of PSL has not been kind to him either, as he has only managed to score 178 runs from five matches at an average of 44.50 and a strike rate of 130.88, failing to make any significant impact so far in the tournament.
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