3 reasons why Babar Azam moving down to number 3 in T20Is would be the wrong move
Several reports coming out of Auckland have claimed that the Pakistan management has decided to demote former captain Babar Azam to the number three spot ahead of their upcoming T20I series against New Zealand, which starts on Friday.
The reports also suggest that young Saim Ayub may be asked to open the innings alongside wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan. Babar, who has opened the innings for Pakistan in T20Is in the past, will have to adjust a bit to adapt to his reported new role.
It is not yet clear whether he asked for this change himself or whether the team management decided to change the batting order. In this listicle, we bring to you three reasons why Babar moving down to number three in T20Is will be the wrong move:
#1. He will not get enough balls to face
One of the biggest problems for Babar could be that he will not get enough balls to face when batting at No. 3.
If the openers build a good partnership at a brisk scoring rate, it will be good for Pakistan's cause. But if the openers fail to score quickly, a lot of pressure will fall upon Babar's shoulders.
The star batter may not be able to accelerate as quickly as he would like to when coming in at number three. Instead, if he opens, he will get enough time to set up a big total for himself and his team.
#2. He may have to encounter spin early on
As is the case with many batters, Babar does not look too confident against spin early on in his innings. If he comes in at number three for Pakistan, he may have to face spin early on, and this may hamper his run-scoring prowess.
However, if he opens the innings, he will, in all likelihood, come up against seamers.
Babar is known to be a good player of the sweep shot against spinners, but he would ideally like some time on the crease before playing them.
#3. He may not have the powerplay to express himself
There is a huge possibility that Babar will come out after the powerplay if he bats at number three. If he does indeed come out after the powerplay, he will not have the fielding restrictions to express himself and play attacking shots.
Instead, he will have to focus on rotating the strike and building the innings. In short, he will have to play the role of an anchor instead of an enforcer which he aspires to.
This may not exactly work in favor of the plan that Pakistan have for T20Is. Instead, if they ask him to continue opening the innings, he will be able to dominate opposition attacks and go about things more freely with fielding restrictions in place.