“Do I have to play with a strike rate of 300?” Babar interviews a journalist

Peshawar Zalmi and Pakistani team captain Babar Azam humorously responded to a reporter’s question about his strike rate on Thursday, asking if he should play at a 300 strike rate.

At a press conference after their one-sided defeat against Islamabad United (IU), Babar said he played at a strike rate of 160 until he was fifty, but had to play an anchor role when six wickets fell in quick succession.

Peshawar Zalmi The skipper, who scored 75 runs on 58 balls in the game against IU, said a player can’t try to push his strike rate to 200 when the wickets are falling around him, he tries to take the game in depth.

When a reporter questioned his strike rate, Babar smiled and asked if he should “play with 300 strike rate?”.

On a question about the importance of innovation in T20 cricket, the right-hander added that in modern cricket the importance of different shots is certain and players keep improving. However, he added, a player can also improve their strike rate while playing to their strengths.

Babar Azam said that in the first ten overs of innings, his strike rate was around 160, but after wickets fell rapidly in the middle of overs, he tried to go deeper into the game.

The PZ skipper admitted he wasn’t with the last part of his innings as he couldn’t complete the innings the way he wanted.

Babar said the pitch was good enough and the score could have been around 180-200, but Hasan Ali’s spell changed the game.

On a question about young hitters Muhammad Haris and Saim Ayub, Babar said he tries to teach players like Mohammad Haris and Saeem Ayub and share his experience with youngsters.

When asked how his former side Karachi Kings’ performance can improve this season, Babar humorously replied saying, “I’m not their coach”, adding that he should be asked about their game with UI.