Pakistan's bowling coach Umar Gul recently spoke about Babar Azam's performance in the first T20I against New Zealand in Auckland, noting that the runs he scored would likely boost his confidence moving forward. Pakistan went down to a 46-run defeat in the first T20I as they were outclassed by New Zealand in both batting and bowling, putting them 1-0 behind in the five-match series. However, a major positive for the team was Babar Azam's form.
Babar roared with the bat, scoring a determined half-century. Batting at no.3, he initially appeared unsettled during the powerplay but gradually found his rhythm and returned to top form. He played some extraordinary shots, keeping Pakistan in contention even as wickets fell around him. In pursuit of 227 runs, Pakistan lost wickets in regular interval, but Babar not only anchored the innings but also scored at a brisk pace.
Once Babar settled in, he aggressively targeted the New Zealand bowlers, hitting them all around the park. As long as he was at the crease, Pakistan seemed to have a genuine chance of victory, but the lack of support from the other end led to his eventual dismissal while attempting to hit.
Babar concluded his innings with 57 runs off 35 balls, the only player from his team to exceed 30 runs. He maintained a strike rate of over 162, including six fours and two sixes.
Meanwhile, Umar Gul heaped praise on Babar's knock, referring to him as one of the world's top players. He acknowledged that Babar hadn't met expectations in the previous series and also hadn't been favored by luck. Gul pointed out the high strike rate at which Babar played in the match against New Zealand, noting it as a positive indicator for the team. In a conversation with reporters, Gul said,"Babar Azam is our top player, he’s one of the best players in the world. Even in the last series, he wasn’t out of form but sometimes luck didn’t favor him. He looked good and got 30-40s but he couldn’t live up to the expectations of scoring big hundreds. Unfortunately, he couldn’t perform like that."
“If you look at Babar’s strike rate and the way he batted today, it is a good sign for Pakistan because he must have gotten confidence from this inning. The ball is coming onto his bat but luck was not in his favor in previous innings. I am sure his runs today would have boosted his confidence,” he added.
Babar also bagged a towering milestone in T20Is, though he couldn't surpass Virat Kohli's all-time record despite shining with the bat in the T20I series opener. Former Pakistan captain Babar became second-fastest batter to amassed 3500 runs in T20Is after dazzling with an impressive fifty. Babar also became the first Pakistani batter to do so. He stands as the second fastest to reach this mark, achieving it in 99 innings.
On the other hand, Kohli holds the record for the fastest to 3500 runs, having done so in just 96 innings. Babar follows closely behind. Also included in this achievement is New Zealand's Martin Guptill, who reached 3500 runs in 118 innings, and India's captain Rohit Sharma, who attained this milestone in 126 innings.
Fewest Innings to 3500 Runs in T20Is:
96 innings – Virat Kohli (India)
99 innings – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
118 innings – Martin Guptill (New Zealand)
126 innings – Rohit Sharma (India)
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