Mohammad Haris: “I had only said that Babar Azam should speed up his batting a bit in T20 cricket. Just for saying this, people turned against me, abused me, and said all kinds of things”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Haris has said that people turned against him and abused him after he advised Babar Azam to score quicker in T20Is.
Haris made the remarks during a podcast, saying he was only trying to offer advice to Azam, who has frequently faced criticism for his low strike-rate in the shortest format.
The 25-year-old said that while people were angry when he made the comment, many of the same critics are now also urging Azam to bat quicker.
“In a podcast, I had only said that Babar Azam should speed up his batting a bit in T20 cricket. Just for saying this, people turned against me, abused me, and said all kinds of things. But today, those same people are themselves telling Babar to bat faster,” he was quoted as saying on Facebook.
Haris was not selected for Pakistan’s ongoing two-Test series against the West Indies, where Azam is captaining the men in green after being reappointed to the role.
Pakistan lost the 1st Test by 90 runs and will look to bounce back in the 2nd Test, which will be held in Trinidad and Tobago from August 2 to 6.
Following this, Pakistan will tour England for three Tests from August 19 to September 13.
Pakistan Squad for West Indies Test Series: Babar Azam (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Awais Zafar, Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah
Pakistan Squad for England Test Series: Babar Azam (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Awais Zafar, Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel (subject to fitness), Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah