Babar Azam not best suited for PowerPlay role: Mike Hesson

The jury is out on what exact role Babar Azam is playing in the Pakistan batting order currently. He will not retain his place at the top of the Pakistan batting order, coach Mike Hesson appeared to confirm ahead of Pakistan’s Super Eights game against New Zealand, referring to the former Pakistan captain as a decent operator through the middle if required.

“Babar’s well aware that his strike rate in the powerplay is less than 100 in T20 World Cups,” Hesson remarked. “That’s not a role we think we need here. We think he’s a fine player through the middle if required. If we’re in a little bit of trouble, or as we saw against the USA, once he gets himself set, he can increase his strike rate at that point.”

He highlighted that Babar would need to adjust to what the role demanded of him. “It’s what the team requires – batting lower down the order. Babar’s well aware of that. We brought Babar back in for a specific role post the Asia Cup. We wanted some batsmanship through the middle, and he certainly brings that for us. And he did many games through the last ten. The other day we got to the 12th over mark and from that point, Babar’s not the best person to come in.”

“Babar’s the first person to acknowledge that he’s got a certain set of skills the team require and there are certain times we’d want players who can perform that role more efficiently,” Hesson said.