Aamer Sohail: “We always expect good things from Babar Azam but I really want his teammates to help him. Whenever he comes to bat, his partner should take charge and give him some time to understand the surface better”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan captain Aamer Sohail admitted that people constantly “expect good things from Babar Azam”, but conceded that the batsman needs help from his teammates.
Elaborating further, Aamer noted that Azam requires time to settle at the crease, which makes it crucial for the other batsmen to support him by staying at the wicket.
“We always expect good things from Babar Azam but I really want his teammates to help him. Whenever he comes to bat, his partner should take charge and give him some time to understand the surface better,” he was quoted as saying on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Azam has been very busy as of late as he was involved in Pakistan’s home series against South Africa and started off by making 131 runs in two Tests, which included a top score of 50, at an average of 32.75.
After this came three T20Is, where he scored 79 runs, which included a top score of 68, at an average of 39.50 and a strike-rate of 117.91.
Three ODIs followed, but Azam could only muster 45 runs at an average of 15.
The 31-year-old turned things around against Sri Lanka as he racked up 165 runs in three ODIs, which included his first international hundred since August 2023, at an average of 82.50.
Azam’s next assignment was a T20I tri-series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, where he amassed 127 runs in five matches, which included a top score of 74, at an average of 31.75 and a strike-rate of 112.38.
Currently, the Lahore native is in action for the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League (BBL).
So far, he has made 71 runs in four games, which includes a top score of 58, at an average of 17.75 and a strike-rate of 110.93.
The Pakistan team will return to the field soon as they will take on Sri Lanka in a three-match T20I series in Dambulla from January 7 to 11.
However, Azam was not among the players picked for the tour of Sri Lanka when the squad was announced.
Pakistan Squad for Sri Lanka T20I Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmad, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Usman Tariq
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