Kamran Akmal: “He was scoring runs and would have continued to do so”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Don’t worry, Babar Azam has been scoring runs and won’t stop anytime soon, senior wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal said about the Pakistan captain.
Akmal has admitted that he was not comfortable with the idea of Azam leading the team as he felt the 28-year-old was not ready.
He was also concerned about whether the added pressure that comes with the leadership role would have an adverse effect on Azam’s batting.
So far, Azam has managed to navigate this brilliantly as he is still Pakistan’s most consistent batsman in all three formats.
While he has had the odd rough patch here and there, Akmal doesn’t think the runs will ever dry up completely for the elite batsman.
“He was scoring runs and would have continued to do so,” he was quoted as saying by Cricwick.
Azam accumulated 348 runs in three Tests against England, which included a century and three fifties, at an average of 58. Unfortunately, his efforts went in vain as Pakistan lost 3-0.
The team’s ongoing assignment consists of two Tests and three ODIs against New Zealand, with the first Test having begun on Monday in Karachi.
Azam was spectacular in the first innings as he struck a breathtaking 161, which came off 280 balls and included 15 boundaries and a six.
The second Test will start on January 2 and also be held in Karachi.
Pakistan Squad for New Zealand Test Series: Babar Azam (capt), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Agha Salman, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shan Masood and Zahid Mahmood