"I have never focused on individual milestones" - Babar Azam
Pakistan captain Babar Azam has declared that he never plays for personal milestones and that he always plays to win matches for his team. The right-handed batter stated that he always intends to deliver impactful performances.
Babar has established himself as one of the most prolific performers across formats. The 28-year-old is the only Pakistan batter to score more than one T20I hundred and is the number-one ranked ODI batter.
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World No. 1 ODI batter @babarazam258 has completed 1️⃣2️⃣,0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ international runs 👏
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Speaking to a local website, here's what he had to say:
"I have never focused on individual milestones. My focus has always been to deliver for the team and give such performances that win matches for my team. When you play with that goal, you achieve milestones along the way. The aim should always be to give impactful performances."
The star batter conceded that delivering impactful performances automatically leads to records, stating:
These milestones and records are byproducts of that mentality. Ido not have any personal ambition. What I want is to strive for the country’s success. I have never focused on achieving one record or the other. These things come with performance. But my main aim has always been to win the matches and tournaments for the country and make my performance count."
Due to his middling strike rate, Babar has faced numerous accusations of playing for personal milestones. Nevertheless, the last few years have seen the Lahore-born cricketer break a plethora of records, including the fastest Asian to 10000 international runs, quickest to 4000 ODI runs, and the fastest to 9000 T20 runs.
"What Fakhar has said is a reflection of our team culture" - Babar Azam
Speaking of Fakhar Zaman's confidence in Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan's opening combination for T20Is despite a few failures, the 28-year-old said it was a reflection of the team's culture and that they fully backed one another.
He added:
"What Fakhar has said is a reflection of our team culture. We back and encourage each other. We spend time with each other a lot more than we do with our families and to become a well-bonded unit, it is important to stand by your teammates and enjoy each other's success. We back each other in an effort to get the best results for the team and for the country."
Fakhar Zaman's press conference at the end of the first ODI.
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The Pakistan skipper scored 49 off 46 balls during their five-wicket win over New Zealand in the first ODI.