Fakhar Zaman: “I have played Tests, ODIs, and T20s, and I have also batted with about 11 or 12 partners. The experience has been different in each format, but honestly, I enjoy batting the most with Babar Azam”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan top order batsman Fakhar Zaman said he enjoys batting with Babar Azam the most as the limited overs captain “minimises dot balls”, which puts him under less pressure.
Zaman acknowledged that he has had around 11 to 12 batting partners over the years, but he put Azam above the rest for making batting “easier for me.”
Dwelling further on this, the 34-year-old praised Azam for consistently taking the initiative to keep rotating the strike and hitting boundaries.
“I have played Tests, ODIs, and T20s, and I have also batted with about 11 or 12 partners. The experience has been different in each format, but honestly, I enjoy batting the most with Babar Azam,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
“Babar minimises dot balls, so there’s less pressure on me. Even though I play aggressively, my job is to make the game easier for the non-striker. Whenever I have played with Babar, I feel that he makes it easier for me as well because it’s not necessary to score runs by hitting boundaries every time, the way he rotates the strike or capitalises on loose balls for boundaries brings me joy and makes playing with him a delightful experience.”
Azam and Zaman were recently involved in the 2024 Pakistan Super League (PSL), where the former captained the Peshawar Zalmi and finished as the highest run-scorer with 569 runs in 11 games, which included a century and five fifties, at an average of 56.90 and a strike-rate of 142.60.
Zaman, meanwhile, made 157 runs in eight games, which included a top score of 54, at an average of 19.62 and a strike-rate of 115.44.
Azam recently led Pakistan in their five-match T20I series against New Zealand and amassed 125 runs in five games, which included a top score of 69, at an average of 31.25 and a strike-rate of 138.88.
As for Zaman, he made 104 runs in two matches, which included a top score of 61, at an average of 52 and a strike-rate of 133.33.
The series ultimately ended as a 2-2 draw.
Pakistan Squad for New Zealand T20I Series: Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Amir, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usama Mir, Usman Khan, Zaman Khan
Non-travelling reserves: Haseebullah Khan, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha