Shoaib Akhtar: “I would have kept Babar and told him to play at a 150 strike-rate. If he said he couldn’t do it, I would have motivated him, telling him he can and he will”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Iconic Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar admitted he would keep batsman Babar Azam in the T20I team over Mohammad Rizwan.
Akhtar noted that he want Azam to maintain a strike-rate of 150 when batting in order to keep up with the demands of the modern-day game.
Should the 31-year-old doubt himself, the Rawalpindi Express made it clear that he would step in to motivate and reassure him that he can do it.
“I would have kept Babar and told him to play at a 150 strike-rate. If he said he couldn’t do it, I would have motivated him, telling him he can and he will,” Akhtar was quoted as saying by Khel Shel on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Azam is currently in action against South Africa and kicked off his campaign with 131 runs in two Tests, which included a top score of 50, at an average of 32.75.
He then proceeded to make 79 runs in three T20Is, which included a top score of 68, at an average of 39.50 and a strike-rate of 117.91.
As for the three-match ODI series, Azam has amassed 18 runs in two games at an average of nine.
After the South Africa series, Pakistan will play Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series from November 11 to 15, and then compete in a T20I tri-series alongside Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe from November 17 to 29.
Pakistan squad for South Africa ODI Series: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha
Pakistan squad for Sri Lanka ODI Series: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha
Pakistan squad for Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe T20I Tri-Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Usman Tariq
Reserves: Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem