With More Experience As Captain, Babar Azam Will Definitely Improve His Strategic Moves: Misbah-Ul-Haq

Following Pakistan’s ODI series victory against South Africa, head coach Misbah-Ul-Haq hailed Babar Azam for being a quick learner. Babar Azam, who performed outstandingly with the bat in South Africa, continued his positive start as captain, recording his second consecutive ODI series win. While Misbah-Ul-Haq undoubtedly thinks the right-handed batsman is one of the best batsmen, he has some way as far as strategic moves are concerned.

While Fakhar Zaman deservedly got the man of the series award for scoring two centuries, Babar Azam’s role with the bat was equally crucial. As the best and the most dependable batsman in Pakistan, he struck a hundred and fifty to finish with 228 runs in three ODIs. The 26-year old hit a flamboyant hundred in the first and a brisk 94 in the third as Pakistan became the first Asian team to win more than a single ODI series in South Africa.

Misbah-Ul-Haq feels that the ODI series victory in South Africa would go a long way in helping Babar Azam, the captain, to get better. The former Pakistan skipper believes that Babar is a quick learner, given his meteoric rise across formats and with his cricketing sense being good, his strategic moves would also upgrade.

“Though he doesn’t have much experience as captain, this performance will allow him to get better. The way he has worked on his game in white-ball cricket or even Tests shows he is a good learner. He has cricketing sense and with more experience as captain, he will definitely improve his strategic moves,” Misbah told ESPN Cricinfo.

For a captain, it’s really important to lead from the front: Misbah-Ul-Haq

Misbah-Ul-Haq stated that the captain must lead from the front and feels that Babar Azam did that. Misbah recalled the instance from the first ODI when Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje tried attacking him; however, the 26-year old counter-attacked with self-belief and confidence. Thus, the 46-year old feels such moments would assist him in decision-making and overall confidence.

“For a captain, it’s really important to lead from the front. He just goes in and controls the game. In the first ODI, South Africa did their best to attack him with Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, but the way he counter-attacked gave self-belief and confidence (to him as a captain). All that will help him in decision-making and improve his overall ability,” he added.

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