Pakistan cricket team missed out on an opportunity to win the Asia Cup 2022. One of the reasons for Pakistan’s performance was captain Babar Azam. Babar didn’t do as per the expectations of the fans and only managed to score 68 runs in the 6 games he played.
Pakistan didn’t start the tournament well as they lost their first game against India by 5 wickets. Then they thrashed Hong Kong by 155 runs and entered the super 4 stages.
They took revenge for the first game and won the first game of the super 4 against India. M Nawaz and M Rizwan got the team over the line in a run chase of 182. After beating Afghanistan in a close encounter by one wicket, they reached the tournament’s final.
Pakistan lost the dead rubber against Sri Lanka and Babar Azam failed again in that game.
Babar failed to go big in the final
It was expected from Babar Azam that he will step up on a big stage in the final of the Asia Cup 2022. He only managed to score 5 runs off 6 balls in the final.
All the scores in the tournament were 10, 9, 14, 0, 30, and 5. That is a worry for Pakistan and for Babar Azam before the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia.
Babar Azam has been in great form coming into this tournament but hasn’t lived up to his standard.
He was constantly compared with the Indian legend V Kohli which is a very big achievement for Babar Azam.
Babar is a very good player and a very classy batsman. Someone who looks good while he bats. He bats with the proper technique and he has all cricketing shots in his armory.
He was in good form before the Asia Cup 2022
Before coming into the Asia Cup 2022, Babar Azam played well in the Netherland ODIs. He scored 74, 57, and 91 in those 3 ODIs (One Day Internationals).
Before Netherlands’ ODIs, Babar Azam also does well in the two-match Test Series against Sri Lanka (SL) away from home. In the four innings of the two tests, he managed to score 119, 55, 16, and 81.
So all n all, Babar Azam was doing well before the Asia Cup. But a bad Asia Cup will certainly be a headache for the team and the coaches.
Pakistan has a series coming up against England at home
Now, Pakistan has a T20I series coming up against England at home. It will be a 7-match T20I series starting from September 20 at National Stadium, Karachi. The first four games will be played in National Stadium, Karachi. And the next three games will be held at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
The series will be a great opportunity for Babar Azam to come good against a top-quality side like England. Although some of the big players from England are missing on a tour of Pakistan. But they are a world-class side, especially in limited-overs cricket.
The way England approaches the game in T20Is, it will not be easy for Pakistan to just run through this England side.
Maybe if the wickets in those two venues are sluggish, both the team’s batters might struggle to score big but still, England is known to play fearless cricket in any conditions.
England’s squad for the seven-match T20I series in Pakistan:-
Jos Buttler (C), Moeen Ali (VC), Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Liam Dawson, Richard Gleeson, Tom Helm, Will Jacks, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Olly Stone, Reece Topley, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Luke Wood, Mark Wood
Captain Babar Azam will look to score big in those T20Is and want to be at his best before going into the ICC T20 World Cup.
Pakistan missed out on an opportunity to play the final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 in UAE. They lost to Australia in the semi-final.
One of the strengths of Pakistan’s team in T20I cricket is their opening pair M Rizwan and Babar Azam. They rely so much on these two in the batting.
M Rizwan did well and scored consistently in the tournament but Babar Azam failed to do so.
What are the benefits for Babar Azam in the upcoming England series at home?
Pakistan playing against England before the ICC T20 World Cup is a big plus not only for Babar Azam but for the whole team. The team can try some different combinations as it is a long series.
Captain Babar Azam can spend some time in the middle as Pakistan’s approach to playing T20 cricket is a bit different. They don’t go all out from ball one like England. So Babar Azam can take his time and can go big in his inning.
It will give much-needed confidence to Babar Azam before a big tournament like World Cup.
We know how good a player Babar Azam is. He is one of the best batters in world cricket. And he knows how to come out of this situation.
We hope that we do well in the upcoming series and the world cup in Australia later this year. What do you think about this one? Will Babar be able to do well in the England series? Comment your opinion below.
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