Mohammad Hafeez: “Babar has been batting at number three for [the] last seven to eight years. There will be nothing new for Babar to bat at number three in T20s”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan team director Mohammad Hafeez feels limited overs captain Babar Azam should bat at number three in T20Is as it is nothing new for him.
Azam has been opening the batting in the shortest format for a few years now, but has played at one down, most recently during Pakistan’s T20I series against New Zealand in January 2024.
The 29-year-old was appointed as white-ball captain shortly after that series and swiftly reclaimed his opening spot.
However, Hafeez reiterated that Azam doesn’t need to come in as an opener, especially since he’s been accustomed to batting at number three for several years.
“Babar has been batting at number three for [the] last seven to eight years. There will be nothing new for Babar to bat at number three in T20s,” he told Geo News as quoted by NDTV.
Azam recently led Pakistan in their five-match T20I series against New Zealand in April 2024 and made 125 runs, which included a top score of 69, at an average of 31.25 and a strike-rate of 138.88.
He then went on to score 132 runs in three T20Is against Ireland, which included two fifties, at an average of 44 and a strike-rate of 148.31.
Pakistan’s next assignment will see them play four T20Is against England from May 22 to May 30.
After that, they will be involved in the T20 World Cup, which will be played in the West Indies and United States of America from June 1 to 29.
Pakistan’s first T20 World Cup game will be against the United States of America in Dallas on June 6.
Pakistan Squad for Ireland and England T20I Series: Babar Azam (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan
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