PCB recently appointed Aaqib Javed as the interim white-ball head coach as Gary Kirsten ended his contract prematurely and Jason Gillespie took on the role for just one series that was against Australia. It is worth noting that interim head coach Aaqib Javed is also Pakistan’s selector and was recently accused by many of sidelining Babar Azam from T20Is, who is going through a lean patch.
In the latest events, the former Test pacer also rubbished speculations that batting stalwart Babar Azam and some other players including skipper Mohammad Rizwan were being targeted and eased out of T20 cricket ever since he became senior selector.
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan’s performances in Australia
Pakistan batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan experienced a drop in their positions in the latest ICC T20I Batting Rankings released on Wednesday. The Green Shirts suffered a humiliating whitewash in the three-match series, mainly courtesy of the team’s below-par batting performance.
Babar Azam managed a meagre 47 runs in the series at an average of 15.66 and a strike-rate of 142.42, meanwhile, Mohammad Rizwan scored 16 runs in two games at a dismal strike-rate of 57.14. Consequently, both batters dropped one place each in the ICC T20I Batting Rankings.
Mohammad Rizwan is currently in 6th place with 719 rating points, while Babar Azam has dropped from 4th to 5th place with 742 rating points. It’s worth noting that other than Babar and Rizwan, no Pakistani batter is among the top 50 batters in the T20I rankings, with Fakhar Zaman (64) being the third-highest-ranked batter from the country.
After their failure in T20I series , Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were heavily trolled for their credentials and even their place in the national team is questioned . However the interim now newly elected coach Aaqib Javed has whole heartedly supported Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan despite the failures considering them as the brand value.
Aaqib Javed shares his opinion on Pakistan’s star batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan despite T20I series debacle in Australia.
Pakistan’s newly appointed limited-overs head coach Aaqib Javed has backed skipper Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam despite their failures in the three-match T20I series in Australia. Rizwan returned with 0 and 16 in two games, while Babar managed 3 runs each in the first two T20Is before 41 off 28 in the dead rubber. The Men in Green lost the series by a 3-0 margin
Javed told the media (via Geo TV):
“Senior players like Babar and Rizwan have a value. They performed over the years for Pakistan.”
The response came after former Pakistan player Basit Ali claimed Babar Azam had already played his last T20I for the Men in Green. He said in a local TV program (via Geo TV):
“As long as Aaqib Javed is the head coach, this may be Babar Azam’s last T20 match.”
“I am simply stating what is evident. You have a premium batsman averaging just 14 runs across three matches. What kind of batsman gets dismissed before the eighth over?” he added.
Apart from T20Is, Babar Azam had returned with scores of 37, 15*, and 28* in the three ODIs Down Under.
Our main focus at the moment is on ODI cricket ahead of the Champions Trophy – Aaqib Javed on Pakistan cricket
Aaqib Javed further stressed that he will try to ensure Pakistan continue to do well in ODIs ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy following their series win in Australia.
Speaking ahead of the tour of Zimbabwe, Aaqib Javed said that his goal was to make a settled squad in the white-ball team which could play in the Champions Trophy. Pakistan are expected to host the tournament in 2025, however, there is no confirmation of the schedule from the International Cricket Council due to BCCI’s issues with travelling to the country. He told ESPNCricinfo:
“Our main focus at the moment is on ODI cricket ahead of the Champions Trophy. You’ll see a settled team in this format. You’ll see changes in the T20I format. We plan to give new players chances in the Zimbabwe series. It is a message and opportunity to the new players to take the chances they’ve been given. If you don’t give new players chances, you’ll never get the opportunity to improve your bench strength,”
“Australia has never been an easy tour. When the team went, if we had said we were going to win the series, people would have thought it impossible. Under the new captain [Mohammad Rizwan], they showed the world they could do it after 22 years [by winning 2-1]. They also had chances in the three T20Is, but if you don’t avail your chances, you won’t win,” he added.
Pakistan will next play a white-ball series in Zimbabwe, comprising three T20Is and as many ODIs. The 50-over series will begin on Sunday, November 24. Pakistan’s Zimbabwe tour will starts with the ODIs on November 24, 26 and 28 followed by the T20Is on December 1, 3 and 5. All games will be played in Bulawayo.