Babar Azam to be demoted? Peshawar Zalmi head coach reveals captain's batting position

Pakistani batsman Babar Azam is considered to be among the best batsmen of modern-day cricket. Babar has scored a lot of runs while opening the batting for his national side, however, there has been a dip in the form of the former Pakistani captain in recent days.

Babar Azam will be seen playing in the Pakistan Super League for Peshawar Zalmi. Zalmi head coach Mohammad Akram opened up regarding Babar’s batting position in PSL 9. As per Akram, he stated that the management has no issues with Babar batting at any position but the former Pakistani captain mostly likes to open.

Peshawar Zalmi coach reveals Babar Azam’s batting coach

He said, “We have no objections to Babar Azam playing in any position, but he prefers to open. Babar Azam is the team’s captain and has performed well in the opening position.”

Peshawar Zalmi will be playing their opening match of the Pakistan Super League 2024 against the Quetta Gladiators on February 18 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Zalmi won their last PSL title in the year 2017 and will be wanting to repeat the heroic in 2024.

Babar Azam’s form has also been a major reason behind Pakistan’s dismal performance in international cricket in recent times. Babar has not been able to score runs against quality pace attacks whereas he has only scored fifties and hundreds against low-ranked teams. Babar has not been able to finish a single match for Pakistan in the last few months, which has resulted in a whitewash in Tests against Australia and also a 4-1 loss in the T20Is against New Zealand.

Babar Azam along with Mohammad Rizwan has won a lot of games for Pakistan while opening for the team. This includes the iconic ten-wicket win against India during the T20 World Cup 2021. However, since both of them have been separated things have not gone easy for Pakistan in the shortest international format.

Due to his dip in form, Babar Azam resigned from the captaincy of Pakistan after the team was not able to make it to the knockouts of the ODI World Cup 2023.

The ninth edition of the Pakistan Super League is all set to kickstart on February 17 whereas the final of the tournament will be played on March 18. There will be 34 games in all, with Karachi hosting the most—11 of them. The National Bank Stadium will also host the qualifiers, two eliminators, and the final match.

Since its launch in 2016, the Pakistan Super League has established itself as one of the top T20 competitions worldwide. Similar to the Indian Premier League, the Pakistan Super League (PSL) provides young Pakistani athletes with an opportunity to represent their country on the international scene and to play for the national team.

While the other franchises, Peshawar Zalmi, Karachi Kings, Islamabad United, Multan Sultans, and Quetta Gladiators, all have an equal chance of taking home the trophy in 2024, Lahore Qalandars has won the last two editions of the Pakistan Super League.