Babar Azam 'Not Satisfied' With Batting Order Demotion But 'Did It For Pakistan'

With Babar Azam being demoted to number 3, it was Saim Ayub who opened the batting along with Mohammad Rizwan for Pakistan in the T20Is against New Zealand.

Babar Azam batted at the number 3 position during Pakistan's T20I series against New Zealand.

Source : Getty

Babar Azam, the ex-Pakistan skipper, said that he is "not satisfied" after being demoted to the number three position in the batting order in T20Is but has accepted the decision for the team. Notably, the 29-year-old was slotted to bat at the number 3 position during Pakistan's five-match T20I series in New Zealand. With Babar getting down at number 3, it was Saim Ayub who opened the batting along with Mohammad Rizwan.

Having said that, the new opening pair of Ayub and Rizwan did not make any impact as the new opening partnership failed to register even a single fifty-plus opening stand. Babar spoke about his dissatisfaction after Peshawar Zalmi's last league fixture of PSL 2024 against Karachi Kings on March 11 (Monday).

"I don’t feel or take any pressure whenever I open the innings (in T20Is). The team was demanding me to come down to No. three and I did it for the team. If asked from a personal perspective, I was not satisfied with the move but I did it for Pakistan," Babar said at the press conference.

A video of the same also went viral on social media. Take a look:

 

 

پاکستان ٹیم میں نمبر 3 پر کھیلنے پر مطمئین اور تیار نہیں تھا مگر جو کیا پاکستان کے لیے کیا ۔ بابر اعظم @TheRealPCB pic.twitter.com/lF9cy41cR6

— ٰImran Siddique (@imransiddique89) March 11, 2024

Babar Azam Leading Run-Getter In PSL 2024 So Far

As far as as Babar's form in PSL 2024 is concerned, the right-handed batter happens to be the leading run-scorer in PSL 2024 with 498 runs in 9 innings at an average of 62.25. Despite there a debate about his strike rate, he has been striking at 148.66 and has scored 56 boundaries and 11 sixes this year already. As a result of his form, Peshawar have qualified for the business end of the tournament, currently sitting at the top with 13 points from 10 matches.