Mike Hesson, the white-ball head coach of the Pakistani team, reported that the former skipper Babar Azam will be hitting three in the upcoming three matches of the T20I series against South Africa, the first time in a long time, with the shortest format.
On the side of the training session of Pakistan in the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Hesson talked to the media about some of the selection process and how the comeback of Babar happened. Babar was allowed to make a comeback with the T20 format being given a hiatus by opener Fakhar Zaman as he aimed to refine his style of play, in domestic cricket.
“I certainly endorse his selection, with Fakhar Zaman sent to first-class cricket. We’ve had a conversation with him, and he wants to come back into the One-Day scene, so we’ve given him a bit of a break from T20Is to get his technique back to where he wants to be, and I’ve been really supportive of that,” Hesson was quoted as saying by GeoSuper.
Hesson noted that Babar is a good candidate to fill the critical position in the batting order of No. 3 because of his expertise. He also drew confidence that Babar will work well in the post.
“That created an opportunity for another top-order player, and it’s a great opportunity to get Babar back into the squad. He’s likely to bat at three, so it’s a role that I’m very confident he’ll be able to do well in.”
Mike Hesson
The last T20I that Babar played was also against South Africa. The 31-year-old has been featured in 128 T20Is wherein he has scored 4223 runs with an average of 39.84 and a strike rate of 129.23. He is an owner of 36 fifties and three hundreds in the format, with his highest number of 122 against the Proteas in Centurion in 2021. Babar has an average of 34.38 in 13 T20I innings against South Africa at a strike rate of 141.45. It is his best strike-rate of any nation in which he has played Tests.
