"Wo bahadur or ap darpok" - Twitter erupts as Babar Azam hails youngsters for middle-order role in PAK vs NZ T20I series
Pakistan captain Babar Azam spoke about the possibility of playing specialist openers Saim Ayub and Mohammad Haris as middle-order batters in the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand.
The 28-year-old said that Ayub and Haris are ready to express themselves regardless of their batting positions.
The statement came even after the duo opened the innings for Pakistan in the absence of Babar and Mohammad Rizwan during the recently concluded T20I series against Afghanistan.
Speaking to reporters on the eve of the first T20I, Babar Azam said:
“The good thing about these youngsters is that they aren’t worried about their batting positions.”
For the uninitiated, Haris recently scored 350 runs in 12 games at a strike rate of 186.17 in the recently concluded Pakistan Super League season. Ayub, on the other hand, amassed 341 runs in 12 matches at a strike rate of 165.53 in the T20 tournament.
The duo, however, failed to deliver as openers against Afghanistan as Pakistan lost the three-match T20I series 2-1.
Fans trolled Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan for not being willing to leave their opening slots, unlike Ayub and Haris. One tweeted:
"O Teri Matlab wo Bahadur or AP darpok ho (Did you mean they are courageous and you are fearful."
@grassrootscric O Teri Matlab wo Bahadur or AP darpok ho
Here are some of the other best Twitter reactions:
@grassrootscric Her koi number 3 py khel skta h bus Babar ya Rizwan nhi khel skty
@grassrootscric Youngsters ko # ki nhi h per babr rizwan kabhi ni choren gy Apni slot
@grassrootscric But our seniors do care about their batting position
@grassrootscric And captain and rizwan are worried about their position 😂😂
@grassrootscric Kabhi apke aur rizwan k bare mai bhi hamein ye kehna ka moqa dein
@grassrootscric Wo dona number ka nahi sochte lekin aap dono sochte ho bhai saim jaisa opner nahi hai pak ma 😭😭😭😭😭
@grassrootscric Get some inspiration boy
@grassrootscric Bro then why are you worried? Just bat 3
@grassrootscric difficult conditions mai World no 1 ,2 , 10 (rashid ,farooqi,mujeeb) ky samny haris or saim . Or Duffy , tickner ky agey home conditions mai roads pe Babar or RIZ !! NO 1 bhi banna hai statpadders ko 🥱
@grassrootscric I don't want to even hope anymore
When Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis slammed Babar Azam for holding onto the opening spot
Pakistan legends Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis recently slammed Babar Azam for sticking to the opening role. While Waqar called it the easiest position to bat, Akram called him ‘insecure.’
Speaking to "The Pavilion" during the 2022 T20 World Cup, Waqar said:
“The easiest place to bat in T20s is opening. You have not let anyone else open in the last two years. I have discussed this with Misbah before, that why don’t you try something new? You have tried it out with bowling, but with batting, we have tried all the experiments with the middle order. But the openers have remained the same.”
He continued:
“Sometimes, as a captain and as a leader, you leave your spot, and that is why we are suffering. The difference between being a captain and the leader, well that’s the difference.”
Wasim Akram added:
“All of these things begin at the top. And at the top is your captain. If your captain plays for himself and is insecure. If your captain scores run and let other batters play at his position, you get to know that your captain is ready to sacrifice himself for you, this Babar has to learn.”
Meanwhile, Pakistan will play their opening T20I against New Zealand at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Friday, April 14.