Mohammad Akram: “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”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Peshawar Zalmi director of cricket and bowling coach Mohammad Akram said he is happy to let Pakistan batsman Babar Azam open the batting in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL) as he has done well at the top of the order.
Azam, who captains the Zalmi, used to open in T20Is for Pakistan for a couple of years before being pushed down to number three for the recent five-match series against New Zealand.
During his tenure as an opener, the 29-year-old scored plenty of runs and won numerous games for the men in green.
Since he has had the same level of success at that position in the PSL, Akram sees no reason to demote Azam down the order.
“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,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
In PSL 9, Azam has scored 394 runs in seven games, which includes a century and three fifties, at an average of 65.66 and a strike-rate of 152.12.
Peshawar Zalmi Squad for PSL 9: Babar Azam (captain), Rovman Powell, Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Asif Ali, Mohammad Haris, Aamer Jamal, Naveen-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Salman Irshad, Arif Yaqoob, Umair Afridi, Dan Mousley, Haseebullah Khan, Mohammad Zeeshan, Mehran Mumtaz, Luke Wood, Sufiyan Muqeem, Waqar Salamkheil, Arshad Iqbal, Gus Atkinson, Shamar Joseph