Babar Azam needs to 'improve a lot' as a batsman: Inzamamul Haq

Pakistan’s legendary former batsman Inzamamul Haq, in a YouTube video on Tuesday, claimed that captain Babar Azam needed to ‘improve a lot’ as a bastman for the betterment of the side.

The 50-year-old believed that there was no doubt that Babar was a great batsman however the Men in Green should have wrapped up the third one-day international (ODI) against Zimbabwe, which Pakistan lost in the super over on Tuesday.

“Babar Azam played really well. He is a great player and there is no doubt about that. But Babar Azam needs a lot of improvement. I think, when Wahab and Babar were playing, they should have finished the match with around 10 to 15 balls remaining. Babar should have taken more of the strike. He is a senior player and plays really good ground shots. But there is a different type of cricket that needs to be played during the final overs,” Inzamam said.

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The former batsman stated that Babar needed to work on the art of hitting the ball during the final stages of a match.

“When you are chasing, you need to maintain the average. You have to hit at this stage and the class that Babar possesses, if he doesn’t hit the ball well then teams will catch up to you. If you don’t hit against a team like Zimbabwe then I do not think that bigger teams will give you any leverage. This is what he needs to learn which is how to hit the ball and how to tackle a chase,” he said.

“The second thing is finishing a match. If Babar Azam is scoring so many runs he should be able to single-handedly win matches like these. If Pakistan is still not winning than it is a point of concern,” he added.

Pakistan lost the third ODI against minnows Zimbabwe in thrilling fashion after the game headed into a super over. Despite the defeat, the Men in Green recorded a 2-1 ODI series victory.