Fans and former cricketers are ecstatic as Pakistan, against all odds, reached the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup.
Former captain Shahid Afridi, through his Twitter, advised Babar Azam to play at a one-down position and allow Rizwan and Haris to open the innings.
Since there is nothing left else to discuss as the semifinal is just a couple days away, a debate on Shahid Afridi’s suggestion is the talk of the town. I, too, decided to give my two cents, albeit with facts and figures, lest anyone accuses me of personal bias.
Babar Azam has batted in 92 innings in T20 Internationals, out of which in 71 matches he has played at the opener and batted at one-down in 19 matches. He played at four and fifth positions in two games. As an opener, he has played 71 matches and remained unbeaten 8 times, at an average of 39.62 along with strike rate of 130. He scored 2 centuries and 23 half-centuries while opening the inning.
Babar has played a total of 19 times at the one-down position, out of which he has been not out five times, scored six half-centuries and his average touches 4, but the important thing is his strike rate. His strike rate at one down falls to 123.
Talking about PSL, Babar Azam has scored 23 half-centuries in 66 innings of 68 matches in all editions from 2016 to 2022, but during this time his strike rate was 121 and averaged 42.33.
Let’s talk discuss the gist of the whole issue. When Babar started opening with Fakhar Zaman, his average was 57 runs, surprised, eh? But when he was paired with Rizwan, Babar’s own performance deteriorated to the point that the same Babar, whose average was 57, became 32. How did Babar’s strike rate in this World Cup come down to an embarrassing 61?
Did any of you feel the need to find out the reason? Have we wondered why a person who had the desire and hunger to score runs is not succeeding? Where has his consistency disappeared?
A little research should be done before forming any opinion. We just look at what is happening in front of us and start harping that Babar is not a player of this format. Babar should play ODIs and Tests and whatnot. But when we turn to the facts, they make us scream that more than 60 percent of babar’s runs have helped Pakistan win T20 International matches.
Now the question is why Babar is failing? The answer is that basically Babar needs a partner who maintains a high strike rate, so that Babar can score runs without any pressure while playing his natural game. There is no doubt about his hard work, consistency and dedication, but the fact is that Babar’s own performance is fading in the cycle of Rizwan trying to take time at the crease. There is a need to play Rizwan at the bottom and send Haris in the absence of Fakhar with Babar.
Opening the inning with Rizwan and Haris won’t solve the issue either, because the statistics on one-down say that Babar’s strike rate decreases. Babar is an opener by nature, so he should be kept permanent at the opening and Rizwan should be made to bat at the lower numbers or he should be asked to play attacking cricket.
You will keep reading such analysis till the game, so thank you for putting up with me.
