What’s the story?
Talking ahead of Pakistan’s Group B clash against Sri Lanka, Misbah-ul-Huq was full of praise for opener Fakhar Zaman, who made his debut against South Africa and No. 3 batsman Babar Azam.
“The good thing about him (Fakhar Zaman) is that he plays aggressively while being sensible. This is how he also plays at the domestic level. It was his debut. At no point he looked nervous. He showed a great temperament against South Africa and it was marvellous to see him taking on world’s top class bowlers in English conditions,” he said while applauding the 27-year-old.
The former Pakistan captain said that Azam has improved a lot in the last few months and has become an asset for Pakistan today.
“He is scoring consistently. It is after a long time that Pakistan have found a player at the one-down position who is very strong on the back foot. He is also a very busy player and does not find difficulty in any sort of condition. In the match against South Africa he played according to the requirement,” he added.
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In case you didn’t know...
Pakistan suffered a nightmare 124-run defeat against India in their opening game of the Champions Trophy. However, they pulled their socks up in their next match against South African to win by a 19-run margin through the DLS method.
Zaman scored an impressive 31 off 23 deliveries in the game while Azam remained not out on the same score.
The details
Misbah believes that Pakistan regrouped well after the devastating defeat against India. Pakistan figured out the kind of cricket they would need to play to survive and thrive in the tournament. Speaking further about the same, he said that his former team’s changed mindset was clearly on display against South Africa.
He said that the team has a chance of progressing in the tournament if they continue in the same fashion.
What’s next?
Pakistan will now play Sri Lanka in their last group match that will help determine which of the two sides will make it to the semi-final. Both this and the India vs South Africa game are virtual quarter-finals for the teams in Group B.
Author’s take
Considering Sri Lanka chased down 321 against India yesterday (June 8), Pakistan’s batsmen, especially Zaman and Azam, need to be at their absolute best in the middle right from the time they set foot on the ground.
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