Tag: Babar Azam

LONDON: England veteran pacer James Anderson heaped praises on Babar Azam, saying he would spend the whole budget on the star Pakistan batter after none of the franchises picked him in the Hundred draft. 

Babar was reserved a price of £100,000 for the draft but went unsold in the drafting process held last week.

While speaking in BBC’s Tailender Podcast Anderson expressed surprise over the development, asserting, “there might have been an availability issue”, which was why Babar had not been picked for the tournament.

“Why was Babar not picked up? Was his price too high?” asked the host.

“I’ll pay double for him [Babar Azam]. I’ll spend the whole budget on Babar Azam. The only thing I can guess is that there might have been an availability issue, which is why he wasn’t picked.” replied Anderson.

The 40-year-old revealed how, at one point, he too was passed over in the IPL auction.

“I went into the IPL auction once and didn’t get picked up,” he recalled.

It is pertinent to mention here that none of the teams at the Hundred draft showed their interest in picking Pakistan batters, including the all-format captain Babar and second-ranked T20I batter Mohammad Rizwan due to concerns over their availability.

Only four Pakistani players, all bowlers, were picked by three teams for the Hundred 2023 which include Shaheen Shah Afridi (Welsh Fire), Haris Rauf (Welsh Fire), Shadab Khan (Birmingham Pheonix) and Ihsanullah (Oval Invincibles).

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KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has thrown his weight behind current all-format captain Babar Azam by asserting that the latter’s captaincy skills are getting developed with time.

Pakistan’s captain Babar often faces criticism regarding his captaincy and on-ground tactics in the team’s crucial matches.

Under Babar’s captaincy, Pakistan played in the finals of the T20 World Cup and Asia Cup 2022 and the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2021.

However, the team also had a dismal home season last year as the green shirts lost the Test series against Australia, England and could draw against New Zealand. They also lost the T20I series and ODI series against England and New Zealand respectively.

Meanwhile, Sarfaraz, during an interview with a prominent Youtuber Nadir Ali, backed Babar as the team’s captain and claimed that he is improving with time.

“There is always room for improvement. Babar is getting better as a captain. He has started doing good and I hope will keep on getting better,” said Sarfaraz.

“In Pakistan, making a mistake is a sin. I know Babar makes mistakes but give him some time. It takes time to become a captain and build a team. We need to be patient and support Babar as he is our captain.

“Gradually, Babar will learn from his mistakes if he continues as a captain in the future. I have played under him recently, and I have seen improvement in his captaincy. He will do good for Pakistan.”

Sarfaraz, who is considered one of the most successful Pakistani captains. He is the only Pakistani captain two have won two ICC trophies — the Champions Trophy and U19 World Cup, also shared a piece of advice for his successor Babar, stating that he needs to improve communication with his players.

“My suggestion to him is that he needs to improve communication with his players. Good communication will make his players confident and it will produce big results,” he concluded.

READ: ‘I told Babar, you are afraid to get out,’ reveals Simon Doull

KARACHI: Former New Zealand cricketer and renowned commentator Simon Doull finally opened up on his conversation with Babar Azam during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight.

New Zealand commentator Doull, has been in hot water after criticizing Babar for slowing down to complete his maiden PSL century in Peshawar Zalmi’s crucial fixture against Quetta Gladiators.

The commentator received major backlash from Babar’s fans and then in Zalmi’s next fixture, he was seen having one on one conversation with Babar.

Meanwhile, in a video posted on Twitter, Doull has finally revealed the gist of his conversation with Babar and claimed that Babar has a fear of getting out.

“I told Babar that you are the best player in the country; I believe you should be bullying this tournament and owning these bowlers. You, at times, are afraid to get out, but you shouldn’t ever be afraid to get out. At some point in your innings, that shows, and that was kind of the gist of my whole chat with him,” Doull said.

“Someone messaged me yesterday. Quinton de Kock slowed down, getting to his hundred. Did they win – yes. The simple tactic is if you are chasing and pacing the inning and are at home, you win – there’s never going to be an issue. I’ll never have a problem with it. But when you’re setting, and you don’t know what a good score and particularly at that stage at that game is, there were so many resources waiting in the wings that you just have to keep going.”

“That was the whole crux of the comment. At times it gets blown out of proportion. I’ll never ever hide behind anything that I say. I said it at the time, I stuck by it, and I have no issue that I said it,” Doull concluded.

It is pertinent to mention that Babar’s maiden PSL century went in vain as Jason Roy’s masterclass trumped his efforts to script an astonishing victory for Quetta Gladiators.

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DUBAI: Pakistan all-format captain Babar Azam has dropped one spot in the latest ICC T20I batting rankings after he missed the recently-held three T20Is against Afghanistan.

Babar had been rested for the away series against Afghanistan in Sharjah and as a result, he lost his place in the top three on the T20I batters’ list.

According to International Cricket Council’s latest ranking updates, New Zealand’s Devon Conway displaced Babar from the third position as the latter slipped one spot to fourth overall.

However, the New Zealand opener maintains a meagre 13 points lead over Babar, as he sits third on 768 points in the rankings.

Meanwhile, India’s Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan retain first and second positions on the list, respectively.

On the other hand, Pakistan’s stand-in skipper Shadab Khan was duly rewarded for his impressive bowling in the three games against Afghanistan. He jumped eight places to fourth on the T20I all-rounder rankings and improved six spots to 12th overall on the list for bowlers.

It may be noted here Pakistan lost the three-T20I series by 2-1 against Afghanistan in the absence of experienced players from the squad. It was the first time Afghanistan had beaten the Green Shirts in a bilateral series.

READ: Rashid Khan becomes No.1 T20I bowler after series win over Pakistan

SHARJAH: Shadab Khan believed that Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan would get a greater amount of respect from the nation and the media after the ongoing series against Afghanistan, which saw the new-look team suffering a dismal 2-0 defeat.

Pakistan T20I captain for the three T20Is against Afghanistan, Shadab, requested the people of the country to support the youngsters, saying, “we must accept one’s failures so that he can turn into a world-class player.”

“We are aware of the talent in each of these players. Nervousness is always there, every time you wear a Pakistan star. This was seen today as well,” he said in a post-match press conference on Sunday after Pakistan lost the second T20I and the first bilateral series against Afghanistan.

Shadab said conditions were totally different in Sharjah, adding, “Any team facing Afghanistan in these conditions, would have met the same fate.”

He added the motive behind sending the young team for the assignment was to prepare the bench strength.

“I am hopeful that the players will make a comeback in the next match but even if they don’t, I will keep supporting these youngsters” he expressed.

When asked whether it was the right choice to send a young team for the series without experience and key players, he replied we all used to hurl criticism at our own players, hinting at media representatives in the room.

“When Babar and Rizwan were not performing or even when they performed a sword hung over their heads in the shape of strike rates,” he said

“As a nation, we were demanding to bring these youngsters in international cricket because they had performed in the PSL and wanted them to play at a high strike rate”

“I’m all up for experiments but we all might realize how much the experience matters”

“I think they (Babar and Rizwan) were not getting the respect they deserved but after this series, they will get much more respect, from the media as well as from the nation” he believed.

It may be noted here that Afghanistan sealed a seven-wicket win over Pakistan in the second T20I to claim the series 2-0.

Set to chase 131, Afghanistan accumulated 133/3 with a ball to spare, thanks to Gurbaz’s 44. The final T20I will be played today.

READ: Gurbaz stars as Afghanistan edge Pakistan to wrap up series win 

DUBAI: Pakistan captain Babar Azam has dropped one place in the latest ICC Test batting rankings as New Zealand’s Kane Williamson rises to the second spot.

Babar slipped to fifth rank on the Test batters’ chart after the recent rankings update on Wednesday which saw Williamson leapfrogging four places to claim the second position on the list.

Williamson hit an unbeaten 121 to steer his side to a thrilling last-ball victory in the opening Test against Sri Lanka in Christchurch.

He continued his sublime form and scored a brilliant double-century in the first innings of the second test to put Kiwis in a commanding position and complete the series sweep.

“Williamson improved a total of 51 rating points on the weekly update to have a total of 883 points and sit just 32 points behind Labuschagne in the lead” said ICC in a media release.

“The 32-year-old looks to re-claim the No.1 ranking mantle he held after New Zealand’s triumph in the 2021 ICC World Test Championship final.”

“It means Steve Smith (third), Joe Root (fourth), Babar Azam (fifth) and Travis Head (sixth) all drop one place,” it added.

Meanwhile, Indian captain Rohit Sharma has fallen out of the top 10 as his Sri Lankan counterpart Dimuth Karunaratne takes the 10th spot.

READ: Babar Azam to receive Sitara-e-Imtiaz on Pakistan Day

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s all-format Babar Azam will receive Sitara-e-Imtiaz – Pakistan’s third highest civilian award – on the occasion of Pakistan Day, March 23.

With the conferment of the award, Babar would become the youngest Pakistani cricketer to receive Sitara-e-Imtiaz at the age of 28.

Before Babar, Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, Sarfraz Ahmed, Saeed Ajmal, Muhammad Yousuf, Inzimam Ul Haq and Javed Miandad received the award.

Pakistan captain will formally receive the honour at the Civil Award Ceremony at Aiwan-i-Sadar on March 23. President Dr Arif Alvi conferred the civil awards on 253 Pakistani citizens as well as foreign nationals on the occasion of the 75th diamond jubilee anniversary of the country on August 14 last year.

Besides Babar, 13 other athletes will be conferred with civil awards for their outstanding achievements in the field of sports. The list includes women’s team ex-captain Bismah Maroof, Commonwealth Games gold medalists Arshad Nadeem and Muhammad Nooh Dastagir, Jahangir Khan (squash), Ch. Shafay Hussain (Kabaddi), Shafiq Ahmed Chishti (Kabaddi), Sirbaz Khan (Mountaineering), Ahsan Ramzan (Snooker), Masood Jan (Blind Cricket), Amina Wali (Skiing), Abdul Karim (Mountaineer/ Porter), Irfan Mehsood (Martial Arts) and Ms Shahida (Karate)

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LAHORE: Pakistan all-format and Peshawar Zalmi skipper Babar Azam on Thursday, added another feather to his cap as he became the fastest batter to score 9000 runs in T20 cricket.

Babar, who scored a 39-ball 64 amid Zalmi’s encounter against Islamabad United in the first eliminator of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight, surpassed T20 great Chris Gayle to become the fastest to 9000 runs in T20s.

The right-handed batter achieved the milestone in just 245 innings, four innings fewer than the previous record held by Gayle, who took 249 innings.

Meanwhile, India’s superstar Virat Kohli is third on the list as he reached the landmark in 271 innings, followed by Australia’s David Warner (273) and Aaron Finch (281).

Notably, Babar is the second Pakistani batter to complete 9000 T20 runs after Shoaib Malik, who has thus far scored 12528 runs in the shortest format.

Babar’s brisk half-century scripted a flying start to Zalmi but United bowlers scripted an astounding comeback in the last seven overs of the first innings to restrict Zalmi to 183/8 in the first eliminator of the marquee league.

READ: United roar back to restrict Zalmi to 183/8 despite Babar’s fifty

LAHORE: The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) management committee Najam Sethi on Monday, clarified the national team’s selectors’ decision of resting key players for the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan in Sharjah.

The chairman of the PCB management committee Sethi, who held a press conference alongside chief selector Haroon Rasheed at Gaddafi Stadium here, refuted the rumours surfacing regarding a change in the team’s leadership and categorically stated that Babar will remain the national team’s all-format captain as long as he is willing to keep the role.

“There is no threat to our established captain Babar Azam. He remains the national captain of our Pakistan squad,” clarified Sethi.

“Whenever Babar tells me that he wants to relinquish the role in one format or in all formats, it is going to be his decision. I respect him a lot. He’s our top star and I’m glad that he supported our initiative,” he maintained.

Sethi then disclosed that he took all key players – Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Fakhar Zaman and Haris Rauf – in confidence before finalizing the squad and there is no threat to their place in the national team.

“I have discussed the matter with Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen and Fakhar and we are resting them. And all of them are happy. No problem,” stated Sethi.

“So, whoever is being rested, is on board. Their place is confirmed in the national team. There is no threat to them. They are our assets and they are genuinely being rested,” he added.

“We thought that some of our players were dealing with minor niggles and should rest. Also, some of our in-form and senior players, who played a lot of cricket in the last two years still have a hectic schedule ahead of them. So, we decided to rest those senior players as well in order to help them recover or avoid injuries,” he reasoned.

It is worth mentioning that chief selector Haroon named a fresh-look 15-member squad for the T20I series against Afghanistan under the leadership of all-rounder Shadab Khan.

Shadab will lead the side that includes four uncapped players – Ihsanullah, Saim Ayub, Tayyab Tahir and Zaman Khan – while Abdullah Shafique, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf and Imad Wasim have been recalled.

READ: PCB names new captain, fresh-look squad for Afghanistan T20Is

RAWALPINDI: Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam seemed a bit disheartened over the loss of his team despite scoring a mammoth 240, which also included his maiden PSL century, against Quetta Gladiators on Wednesday. 

Babar said his side’s bowling was not up to the mark in the game and they conceded more than 12 runs per over throughout the innings.

“We couldn’t bowl up to the expectations,” said Babar in a post-match conference after Gladiators sealed a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Zalmi in a high-scoring match of the Pakistan Super League season 8.

Quetta’s hard-hitting opener Jason Roy was invincible as he smacked a phenomenal 63-ball 145 to single-handedly crush Zalmi in the match.

“We applied everything in our bowling. But he (Jason Roy) was simply outstanding” confessed Babar.

However, Zalmi’s captain did not shy away from accepting their own mistakes with the ball and shared the blame equally on both – Roy’s blitz as well as Zalmi’s poor bowling – for the defeat of his team.

“We could not execute what we planned. You can say it was fifty-fifty. 50 per cent credit goes to his (Roy’s) innings and 50 per cent to our own bad bowling” he said.

“It is not just he played extraordinarily but we made mistakes too,” he added.

Furthermore, Babar stated that the next two matches will be crucial for the Zalmi following this defeat, as they currently sit on eight points in the standings and need at least one victory in two matches to qualify for the playoffs.

“We will sit and discuss where we can improve. God willing, we will try to score 280 in the next match” he quipped.

Moreover, Pakistan all-format captain Babar also lauded his opening partner at Zalmi, Saim Ayub, who has impressed with his superb batting performances and picturesque shots in the tournament.

The left-hander scored 74 from 34 balls in the match before scoring 36-ball 68 the other day against Lahore Qalandars.

“The way Saim batted, it was outstanding,” said Zalmi captain.

“As a captain of the Pakistan team, I have my eyes on every top performer in the league,” remarked Babar when asked whether he was keen to give Saim a breakthrough in the national team after watching him closely.

He added all the players performing at the PSL needed to establish themselves a bit more.

“It is too early to comment on T20 World Cup 2024” he replied to a question about incorporating the top PSL performers in Pakistan’s T20I side before the mega event next year.

“We should not haste and hype the players so quickly. Let them perform for some more time” he concluded.

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