Commentator Simon Doull’s comments during Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam’s knock against Quetta Gladiators, which ended in a loss, became the talk of the town.
The former New Zealand cricketer didn’t like Babar’s batting strategy.
Azam concluded with a 65-ball score of 115 after scoring his first PSL century against the Gladiators. He needed 32 balls to get to fifty, then another 28 to turn it into a tonne.
He was on 80 off 44 at one point, but it took him 16 more balls to reach the three-figure mark, so the last 20 runs that brought him close to his century did not come easily.
After Babar reached 99 and played a dot ball during Naseem Shah’s over, Doull, who was on the microphone, questioned the Zalmi captain’s strategy.
When so much firepower is on the horizon (all-rounder Aamer Jamal, Haseebullah Khan, and Muhammad Haris were waiting in the wings), that is all that has been going on for the past few weeks, according to Doull.
Although hundreds and statistics are excellent, the team must always come first.
Former players have previously criticised Babar, who also serves as the captain of the national squad.
Earlier, the prolific right-batting hander’s strategy in the T20s has been criticised by Imam-ul-Haq and former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi.
“Babar is the best player in the world and the face of the nation, but finishing prevents him from reaching the level of AB de Villiers or Virat Kohli. He still hasn’t proven himself as a match-winner. If I’m mistaken, feel free to correct me. He needs to learn how to finish things. He ought to complete games. Speaking on a local news programme, Afridi stated, “That’s what’s holding back his class.
“I would want to add…because I know him and we have talked about this. Babar concurs with it as well. I’ve played enough cricket, so I need to show more authority and control so that I can win games instead of quitting them in the middle. Lala [Afridi] is entirely correct,” the Imam said.
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