IND vs PAK: 'Babar Azam Should Have Come One Down Instead Of Open': Shoaib Akhtar

Babar Azam wasn’t looking that promising with the bat in the middle against India in the opening match of Asia Cup 2022. The Pakistani Skipper scored 10 runs in 9 balls in which he struck two fours. The Indian fast bowlers bowled impeccable line & lengths and made sure that they don’t give room to him.

Babar Azam had opened the innings with Mohammad Rizwan. In the 1st over itself, Rizwan got two scares while the pacers were enjoying their time as there was movement from the seamer bowlers. Pakistani openers failed to rotate the strike at consistent times which was quite unlike their reputation. The openers were trying too hard to score runs which hampered their innings.

Shoaib Akhtar on Babar Azam

Shoaib Akhtar was angry after seeing Pakistani batters playing too many dot balls. “If Rizwan will play run-a-ball then obviously what will happen? 19 dot balls in first 6 overs. If you will play so many dot balls then you will face problems,” Akhtar said on his YouTube channel.

“It was bad selection by both captains. Both tried to pick wrong teams. They (India) dropped Rishabh Pant and we (Pakistan) added Iftikhar Ahmed at number four. No disrespect to Iftikhar or anybody but I have said this multiple times that Babar Azam shouldn’t open. He should come one down and anchor the innings till the end,” Akhtar said.

Babar Azam fails in a Crunch Match

The Pakistani Skipper was unable to play an impactful knock against the Indian Cricket Team. The likes of Bhuveneshwar Kumar & Arshdeep Singh tightened the screws. From the other end, Rizwan was looking awful and was struggling to get bat to bat. It looked as if Pakistan weren’t ready for a high-octane clash. The batting Coach Yousuf would be grumpy as the batters weren’t able to just the pace of the pitch.

There were high hopes for Babar & Rizwan to replicate their ICC T20 World Cup 2021 performance where they single-handedly won that encounter. This time the Indian pacers did their homework perfectly as the Indian Captain Rohit Sharma set attacking field setups. Babar was undone by a short delivery by Bhuveneshwar Kumar which was a huge blow as Pakistan’s middle order wasn’t that powerful.

Also Read: IND vs PAK: We Were About 10-15 Runs Short – Babar Azam After 5-Wicket Defeat To India In Asia Cup 2022 Match