He Should Not Open For Pakistan: Simon Doull Gets Into Argument With Aamer Sohail Over Babar Azam’s Opening Slot
New Delhi: Babr Azam is considered one of the greatest batters in modern-day cricket. However, his stature in the shortest format of the game is always a topic of debate. He has run in the T20 format as well but his strike rate is not as prominent for the growing format. Many even suggest that he should give up his opening spot and come out to bat at number 3.
On Sunday, in the second T20I between South Africa and West Indies, the world got to witness one of the heaviest-hitting contests. The Windies batting first scored 258 runs and then South Africa chased it with 7 balls remaining. The amount of firepower we all witnessed was absolutely extraordinary.
In a similar situation, if Babar Azam was opening in a chase this big, the team would have struggled to find the explosive opening start. This is a most frequent debate we all witness in name of Babar Azam. A similar debate surfaced between former NZ cricketer Simon Doull and former PAK cricketer Aamer Sohail.
Both of them were part of the commentary team of the second T20I match between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Afghanistan defeated Pakistan in the first two T20Is to win the three-match series. Pakistan’s batting have failed to impress in both matches.
Here’s the video#PAKvAFG https://t.co/z2jMGX8rIo pic.twitter.com/PPodATg4Y4
— Sahil (@mysondaniel86is) March 26, 2023
Amidst that conversation, the commentators got into an argument over Babar Azam’s opening slot in T20Is. However, the PAK skipper isn’t part of the current tour. Both Babar and Rizwan have been currently.
Simon Doull said “Babar Azam is hands down the best No 3 batsman in the world. He should not open for Pakistan. Saim and Haris should open with Rizwan in T20Is.”
Former PAK cricketer didn’t agree with the remark and said “The T20 teams are selected on the basis of averages and not strike rates. The averages are more important than strike rates. I don’t care about the strike rate, I look for the average. If you talk about best players in T20I like Chris Gayle and AB De Villiers, what is the strike rate between 135 and 137?.”
Doull then corrected Sohail and told him that their strike rates are 158 (Chris Gayle) and 145 (AB de Villiers). Sohail then countered and said he is talking about their international strike rate. Doull then questioned Sohail and asked about Babar’s strike rate.
The argument didn’t take a heated turn but it did raise massive questions about Babar Azam’s future in this format of the game. The format is growing at a rapid pace and if players fail to perform at that level, questions about their performance and spot in the team are expected.