Mohammad Amir: “In T20s, I have a different opinion related to him. As a bowler, I don’t see Babar as threatening in [the] T20 format”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Mohammad Amir, the left-arm speedster, believes that Pakistan captain Babar Azam is not threatening at all in T20Is.
He noted that as a bowler, he wouldn’t be worried about bowling to the 28-year-old as he doesn’t incite fear like some of the other elite batsmen in the world.
Amir’s comments are bound to stir up a lot of discussion, especially considering that Azam is one of Pakistan’s most consistent run-scorers in the shortest format and averages 41.48 in T20Is.
That said, the Pakistan skipper has come under fire for his slow batting and low strike-rate, which many of his critics feel puts unnecessary pressure on the middle order.
“In T20s, I have a different opinion related to him. As a bowler, I don’t see Babar as threatening in [the] T20 format,” Amir was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Pakistan have secured a couple of good results lately as they beat Sri Lanka 2-0 in a Test series before going on to crush Afghanistan 3-0 in an ODI series.
The men in green are now involved in the Asia Cup, where they have beaten Nepal by 238 runs, shared one point with India after rain ruined their match, and crushed Bangladesh by seven wickets.
In those three games, Azam has scored 168 runs, which includes a top score of 151 against Nepal, at an average of 84.
Pakistan’s next match will be a Super Four game against India on September 10 in Colombo.
Pakistan Squad for 2023 Asia Cup:Â Babar Azam (capt), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Haris (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr.
Travelling reserve: Tayyab Tahir