In the forthcoming series against England, Pakistan captain Babar Azam has declared that he will not be opening the innings for his side. Before heading out for the T20 World Cup, which is set to begin in the USA and the West Indies next week, the two teams will play four matches against one another.
The series will be Pakistan‘s final chance to perfect their preparations for the major event, and they have made some major decisions, including shifting their captain’s batting position. Babar Azam has been a very effective opener in the game’s shortest format, but he has made the decision to drop to number three in order to help the team.
Babar to keep playing at No. 3
Prior to the opening T20I match against England, the right-handed batter revealed that he would be batting at number three, with Mohammad Rizwan and Saim Ayub opening, as they did in the just finished three-match series against Ireland.
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“We changed our style of cricket and mindset after losing the 1st T20 against Ireland. People want us to hit only fours and sixes but we have to play according to the situation,” Babar said.
“You’ll see our planning in this series but yes, we can make one or so changes according to the conditions or what is required. But, mostly I’ll be batting at one down,” he added.
Opening woes
Babar has amassed 2836 runs in 81 innings as an opener in T20Is, aided by three centuries and twenty-five half-centuries. He has been criticized, though, for his inability to provide his team with quick starts during the powerplay, which may account for the shift in batting order.
