T20 World Cup 2022: "If you cannot check a spinner’s hand, you need to watch many videos"

Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik has called for Babar Azam to improve his gameplay against leg-spin following his dismissal against England's Adil Rashid in the T20 World Cup final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday. The veteran player said that Azam should watch videos of spinners.

The star batter scored 32 off 28 before a googly from Rashid got the better of him in the 12th over. Azam wanted to take on the Yorkshire spinner, but the ball gripped and looped back to a gleeful Rashid. That also meant England snapped a crucial partnership of 39 between the Pakistan captain and Shan Masood.

Speaking on a local sports channel, Malik observed that the Lahore-born batter has lost his wicket to wrist spinners regularly and wants him to work on it. The 40-year-old feels batters can't play spin-bowling without moving their feet. He said:

"This has been happening quite often, and it's a request to Babar to start working against googly. He needs a bit of work in that. If you cannot check a spinner’s hand, you need to watch many videos. Babar needs to make changes in his batting."

Malik continued:

"If your legs are planted, you still manage against pacers. But you can’t play a spinner with planted legs. For example, Babar thought Rashid bowled him leg spin and prepared to play in the covers, but since it was a googly, he could not do anything but get out."

After the captain perished, Pakistan lost their way as they slipped from 84-1 after 11 overs to only 137 in their allotted 20. Despite the best efforts of Pakistan's pace quartet, England sneaked home with five wickets and an over to spare.

Babar Azam struggled to get going all tournament

Pakistan captain in action against New Zealand (Image Credits: Twitter)

The Pakistan captain struggled for runs in the tournament, as he registered single-figure scores in the first three games. His only fifty came against New Zealand in the semifinals, where he scored a 42-ball 53 to take his team to the final.

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Overall, he managed only 124 runs in seven games at an average of 17.71 and a strike rate of 93.56. With 175 runs in five games, Masood and Mohammad Rizwan were the joint top run-getters for Pakistan in the tournament.