Umar Gul: “If Babar is leading the team, he should maintain that dominance”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan fast bowling coach Umar Gul said Babar Azam has to maintain his dominant streak if he wants to continue being seen as the team’s frontline batsman.
The 29-year-old, who recently stepped down as captain in all three formats, is expected to adhere to people’s high expectations, which constantly puts him under pressure.
Since he is Pakistan’s top batsman, the Lahore-born cricketer is generally required to make big scores and win games for the men in green.
“If Babar is leading the team, he should maintain that dominance,” Gul told Cricket Pakistan.
Azam recently scored 126 runs in Pakistan’s three-Test series against Australia at an average of 21.
Pakistan lost that series 3-0 and are now facing New Zealand in a five-match T20I series, where Azam made scores of 57 and 66 in the first two games.
Despite his efforts, the men in green are 2-0 down and will now look to avoid a series defeat in the third T20I, which will be held on January 17 in Dunedin.
Pakistan Squad for New Zealand T20I Series: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abbas Afridi, Azam Khan (wicketkeeper), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Usama Mir and Zaman Khan
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