Babar needs to improve his strike rate: Imam

Opener, Imamul Haq, believes that Pakistan skipper, Babar Azam, needs to improve his strike rate, in order to be more dominant as a batsman like Indian superstar, Virat Kohli.

While speaking on a local media channel, the left-hand batsman revealed that Pakistan skipper understands that he needs more command over his shot making, so that bowlers are scared to bowl to him.

"Babar and I keep discussing this factor, and he agrees with it too. He says that he has now played a lot of cricket and needs to be more dominant and have more command so that he finishes matches more strongly," Imam said.

"He understands this, and we have discussed this a lot that he needs to dominate as a batsman. For that level of domination like Virat Kohli, he needs to improve his strike rate, so that once he has made fifty, he can play as he wills, so that bowlers are scared of him."

"For now, even once he is set, you don’t feel threatened that he can hit any shot anywhere. Once he develops that finishing touch, everyone will benefit, especially Pakistan and he himself as well," he added.

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Former cricketer, Shahid Afridi, in a recent interview, had also echoed similar thoughts about the Pakistan skipper.

"No doubt, Babar is the number one player in the world, and he is the pride of the Pakistan cricket team. However, one thing that stops him from being named along with the likes of AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli is finishing [games]. Babar has not yet proved himself as a match-winner," said Afridi.