NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has weighed in on the discussions surrounding current skipper Babar Azam's performance in T20 cricket, stressing the significance of adapting to match situations and maintaining an optimal strike rate.
With the T20 World Cup looming in June, Misbah highlighted the need for Babar to adjust his batting approach according to the team's requirements.
Misbah commended Babar's recent innings of 75 off 42 balls against Ireland in the third T20I, showcasing his ability to play explosive knocks when needed.
Speaking on Star Sports, Misbah emphasized the importance of Babar's role as a leader and his capability to shift gears in modern-day T20 cricket.
"We saw, he [Babar] improved his strike rate against Ireland. Hopefully, he will bat like that when the team requires that sort of an innings from him. If an anchor role is required, then anchor it is. But you have to be potentially ready to play at 160-170 or even a strike rate of 200 if the team needs it. It will be an important thing for Babar to not bat at 130-140 strike rate if the team is chasing 200," Misbah stated.
1/10:T20 World Cup: Nassau Cricket Stadium set for India vs Pakistan clash
AFP
2/10:Nassau County International Cricket Stadium
<p>The newly-built Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, near New York, was launched with the ICC "excited" to conquer new territories through the T20 World Cup in June.</p>AFP
3/10:Drop-in pitches
<p>The 34,000-capacity stadium has infrastructure from the Las Vegas Formula 1 circuit and drop-in pitches prepared in Florida.</p>AFP
4/10:India-Pakistan clash
<p>The stadium will host the hotly-anticipated India-Pakistan clash on June 9, among its eight scheduled World Cup games.</p>AFP
5/10:June 1 start
<p>The showpiece 20-over event will be co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States starting June 1 with New York, Florida and Dallas as venues.</p>AFP
6/10:India vs Pakistan
<p>The ICC remains happy with the focus on the India-Pakistan clash and the Nassau project as part of bringing the game to the US.</p>AFP
7/10:LA Olympics
<p>T20 Cricket will also feature as one of five new sports at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.</p>AFP
8/10:Huge challenge
<p>Making a cricket stadium in Nassau remained a huge challenge for the ICC, who got in Adelaide Oval curator Damian Hough for the job.</p>AFP
9/10:Drop-in pitch
<p>Hough created the first drop-in pitch in Adelaide in 2013 and the latest strips at the Nassau County ground promise good cricket and balance between bat and ball.</p>AFP
10/10:Municipality Park
<p>Not too long ago, it was just a municipality park and the ICC worked on war-footing to get the facility ready. </p>AFPAcknowledging the pressure faced by players, Misbah emphasized the importance of mental strength and resilience in handling criticism and external expectations. He highlighted the ability of top cricketers to channel criticism into motivation and use it as fuel to perform better on the field.
"Outside noise does affect a player, but good players, who are mentally strong, top cricketers in the world, they take motivation from criticism. They write down those noises that yes, I have to answer them on the ground. Somehow, they take motivation from those voices and criticism," Misbah elaborated.
As Pakistan prepare for the T20 World Cup, Misbah's insights underline the importance of Babar Azam's adaptability and mindset in leading the team's batting lineup effectively, with the aim of achieving success in the upcoming tournament.
