Disappointed my form didn’t help team win: Babar Azam

Peshawar Zalmi skipper, Babar Azam, is quite disappointed with his performance as it was not enough for his side to reach the final of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight.

Babar stated that while he had a good campaign individually, it would have felt better if his performances had helped his team win. He also enjoyed the different conditions and exhilarating matches.

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"It was a good journey, but unfortunately, we couldn't finish. We didn't perform as well as we should have but made a comeback in the second half, and everyone tried to learn and gave their 100 percent," said Babar Azam in the post-match press conference.
 
"As a captain, it's important to share experience and give confidence to youngsters. I set my goal in this PSL to register top performances, but I feel good performances are those that help the team win. As an individual, I enjoyed the tournament, we got different wickets at each venue, and there were many entertaining matches. I am sure fans would have enjoyed the games too, and there is a lot of talent in Pakistan; it's just that we need to groom them. Saim Ayub is a great prospect," he added.

Looking back at the second eliminator, he felt that losing wickets in the middle didn't help their cause, and their bowling plans were not as accurate as they were in the previous match.

"Ball comes nicely in the first ten overs, but then bowlers get help, and the ball doesn't come nicely; it reverses a bit too. The key is not to lose back-to-back wickets because hitting straightaway for a new batter is difficult. But we should give credit to the Lahore bowlers who bowled according to the field and situation, and they were able to restrict us to 170. I think we had enough total on this pitch, and the bowling was fantastic, but we couldn't execute our bowling plans the same way we did yesterday and a little bit wayward bowling (didn't help our cause)," said Babar Azam.

The 28-year-old wants younger players like Mohammad Haris and Saim Ayub to play in different situations and build their game. He emphasized the importance of sharing experiences and giving confidence to youngsters.

"We sent Mohammad Haris to open, but then we changed our planning against Lahore and went with a left-right combination given how Shaheen gives a tough time to right-handers, and that is why we changed our combination a little bit, and Haris responded positively to the shuffle in the batting line-up, and this is what we are trying to inculcate in our players which is to perform in different scenarios and play according to the match situation, and I think our youngsters have developed this trait in themselves in this tournament.

"The wicket was not two-paced, there was a bit of uneven bounce for the fast bowlers, and the ball reverses here in Lahore after ten overs. It is nice when a youngster plays with you and dominates. Communication is very important when batting in the middle, and I try to communicate with them and give them confidence. Happy with the form but disappointed that it didn't help the team win. I will look back and see what I can do better," said Babar Azam.

Meanwhile, Lahore Qalandars made it to the final of the PSL for the third time in the last four years and will face Multan Sultans again this season. 

Babar Azam felt that losing wickets in the middle didn't help their cause#PSL8 #LQvPZ pic.twitter.com/uxLKhntKIl

— Cricket Pakistan (@cricketpakcompk) March 18, 2023