England tour of Pakistan: Babar Azam conceded that Pakistan’s middle-order wants work after his 87 went in useless within the sixth T20I in Lahore. Pakistan’s middle-order batters have struggled to get going within the sequence.
Babar Azam’s 87 went in useless as Pakistan did not defend 170 within the sixth T20I in Lahore (AP Photo)
HIGHLIGHTSBabar Azam’s 87 went in useless for Pakistan in sixth T20Iiftikhar Ahmed was the lone contributor in Pakistan’s middle-orderPakistan’s middle-order has been a trigger for concern
Pakistan captain Babar Azam expressed his disappointment on the middle-order’s performances within the ongoing 7-match T20I sequence towards England. Babar urged the middle-order to step up and take extra duty after the hosts did not make use of an excellent begin in Lahore on Friday, September 30.
Babar Azam did the majority of the work with the bat after Mohammad Rizwan was rested for the sixth T20I towards England. Babar scored 87 off simply 59 balls, steering the Pakistan batting order whilst he stored dropping companions at common intervals. Iftikhar Ahmed confirmed flashes of brilliance in his 21-ball 31 however there was hardly some other important contribution from the remainder of the batting unit.
Pakistan vs England, sixth T20I Highlights
Pakistan managed to publish 169 on the board however it was not even remotely sufficient as England chased down the goal with 39 deliveries to spare. Phil Salt and Alex Hales took the assault to Pakistan’s new-ball bowlers, stitching a 55-run stand in simply 3.5 overs. Salt continued the onslaught and hit 88 not out in simply 41 balls as England leveled the sequence 3-3 with an emphatic 8-wicket win.
“I think the middle-order needs to step up, they need to take responsibility. As openers, we need to build partnerships to not put the pressure on them,” Babar mentioned after the 8-wicket loss.
Pakistan’s middle-order has been an enormous space of concern ever for the reason that begin of the Asia Cup. While Babar Azam (281) and Mohammad Rizwan (315 in 5 matches) have accomplished the majority of the scoring, the likes of Shan Masood (100 in 5 matches), Iftikhar Ahmed (80 in 6 matches), Khushdil Shah (36 in 4 matches) and Haider Ali (36 in 5 matches) have not actually stepped up.
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