Shadab Khan: “You cannot expect a high average and strike-rate both from a player. Give Babar sometime he will improve it. If he doesn’t you can criticise then. You cannot improve in a couple of series”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan spin-bowling all-rounder Shadab Khan has urged people to give batsman Babar Azam some time to improve his strike-rate.
Azam has regularly been criticised for batting too slow, especially when he used to open with Mohammad Rizwan in T20I cricket.
The 30-year-old would be lambasted for taking too long to score his runs and accused of putting unnecessary pressure on the middle order batsmen.
However, Shadab has come to Azam’s defence, noting that the Lahore native is trying to work on boosting his strike-rate.
He added that this improvement will take some time as it won’t happen overnight or over the course of a couple of series.
“As a player everyone needs improvement. As a team, we are well behind the modern-day cricket and we all have a role in it. For example, Babar averages 50 but has a strike-rate of 130. If he averages 30, his strike-rate will increase. You cannot expect a high average and strike-rate both from a player. Give Babar sometime he will improve it. If he doesn’t you can criticise then. You cannot improve in a couple of series,” he was quoted as saying by PakPassion on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Azam recently travelled to South Africa with the Pakistan team and made 31 runs in two T20Is at an average of 15.50.
He performed a lot better in the ODI series as he scored 148 runs in three matches, which included two fifties, at an average of 49.33.
In the two-Test series that followed, he ended up being Pakistan’s highest run-scorer with 193 runs, which included three half-centuries, at an average of 48.25.
Afterwards, Azam was involved in Pakistan’s two-Test series against the West Indies in Multan but only managed to make 45 runs at an average of 11.25.
He is now taking part in the ODI tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa, where he has made scores of 10 and 23 against the Black Caps and Proteas respectively.
Once the tri-series is over, Azam will represent Pakistan in the 2025 Champions Trophy, which will be held from February 19 to March 9.
Pakistan Squad for 2025 Champions Trophy: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah
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