NEW DELHI: The former Pakistan captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, has given his opinion on the ongoing debate around his current successor, Babar Azam’s performance in T20 cricket and highlighted the need for adjusting to the situations of matches and maintaining an optimum strike rate.
Misbah said that as the T20 World Cup approaches in June, it is necessary for Babar Azam to modify his approach of batting to meet team requirements.
For instance, Baber scored 75 off 42 balls against Ireland in the third T20I match. Talking on Star Sports, Misbah stressed what a good leader Babar was as well as how he could shift gears in modern-day T20s.
“Against Ireland we saw , he [Babar] improved his strike rate.” “Hopefully when the team needs that kind of inning from him he should bat like that”. “If you have to be anchoring then do so.” “So, if they need a strike rate above 160-170 or even as high as 200 you must be prepared,” Misbah stated. “It will be an important thing for Babar.”
Misbah also admitted players are affected by pressure and underscored the significance of having mental resilience and strength needed to cope with criticism and external expectations. He pointed out how top cricketers use criticism as motivation and fuel their performance on field.
“Outside noise does affect a player but good players who are mentally strong take motivation from criticism,” said Misbah. They write those noises down ‘yes I have to answer them on ground’. Somehow they take motivation from those voices and criticism”
As Pakistan prepares for its participation at the forthcoming ICC Twenty20 World cup tournament, through Misbah’s eyes it becomes apparent what adaptability means for its captain, or sisterhood attitude towards game which will help lead our batters realize their full potential while keeping motto such as win this year competitive event alive in mind.
