Shoaib Malik: “Babar needs to make changes in his batting. If your legs are planted, you still manage against pacers. But you can’t play a spinner with planted legs”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik said captain Babar Azam needs to “make changes in his batting”.
Malik noted that the 28-year-old has a problem against the googly and must stop planting his legs.
He pointed out that while this will allow Azam to succeed against the fast bowlers, it will cause him a lot of problems when he faces spinners.
“Babar needs to make changes in his batting. If your legs are planted, you still manage against pacers. But you can’t play a spinner with planted legs,” Malik was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Azam was recently in action in the two-Test series against New Zealand, where he amassed 226 runs, which included a top score of 161, at an average of 56.50.
He followed that up with 149 runs in the three-match ODI series, which included two fifties, at an average of 49.66.
Azam will now captain the Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) after being traded to the franchise in exchange for Pakistan power-hitter Haider Ali and veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik.
Ironically, the Zalmi will start their tournament by facing the Kings on February 14 in Karachi.
Peshawar Zalmi Squad for PSL 8: Babar Azam, Rovman Powell, Bhanuka Rajapaksa (Sri Lanka), Mujeeb Ur Rehman, Sherfane Rutherford, Wahab Riaz, Arshad Iqbal, Danish Aziz, Mohammad Haris, Aamer Jamal, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Saim Ayub, Salman Irshad, Usman Qadir, Haseebullah Khan, Sufyan Muqeem, James Neesham, Khurram Shahzad, Haris Sohail and Richard Gleeson
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