Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson did not mince his words on Babar Azam’s strike rate on the eve of their first Super Eight match against New Zealand at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. There were doubts around Babar’s place in Pakistan’s side for the T20 World Cup following his horrible season in Australia’s Big Bash League, where he scored only 202 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 103.06. He hit just three sixes in the season and made scores of 14 or less in eight matches he played.In Pakistan’s last group match against Namibia, he was not even sent in to bat at his usual position. When Salman Ali Agha was dismissed off the first ball of the 13th over, Khawaja Nafay was sent in. An over later, when Nafay got out, Shadab Khan walked out to bat, leaving Babar padded up in the dugout.“Look, it’s the role the team requires, and Babar is well aware of that. I think he’s well aware his strike rate in the powerplay in World Cups is less than 100,” Hesson said at the pre-match press conference.“We think he’s a fine player through the middle if required, especially if we’re in a bit of trouble. As we saw against the USA, once he gets set, he can increase his strike rate. We brought Babar back in for a specific role post the Asia Cup. We wanted some batsmanship through the middle, and he brings that for us.“The other day, when we got to the 12th over mark, Babar Azam was not the best person to come in. We have other options who can perform that role better at the end. Babar is the first to acknowledge that. He knows he has a certain set of skills the team requires, and at times other players can perform certain roles more efficiently,” he said.During the match against Namibia, Pakistan made two bold calls, dropping Shaheen Shah Afridi and demoting Babar Azam from his designated position.When asked whether it was a paradigm shift after the loss to India, the coach said, “I wouldn’t say that. Salman Mirza deserved his opportunity. Babar was the first to recognise that when the left-arm spin was taking shape and the pitch was turning, it wasn’t smart to send out two right-handers. Once the left-arm spinner finished, Nafay went out to take the game on. That’s what we needed at that time. It was about roles, not a paradigm shift.”Hesson also said Salman Mirza should have played ahead of Shaheen Afridi in the previous match as well. Shaheen had conceded 31 runs in two overs against India and was then dropped for the Namibia game.“We made a call that Salman Mirza was coming in for Shaheen, and he bowled incredibly well. To be fair, he was probably unlucky not to be playing the second and third games,” he said.The coach also cleared the air about his alleged rift with Salman Ali Agha after a video clip of an argument during the Namibia match went viral.“I got sent that video, and you guys have got that completely wrong. I was going over to talk to Salman about getting Nawaz to put the pads on as a left-hander. Agha was upset about getting out and threw his bottle on the ground. It had nothing to do with our conversation,” he explained.“Once the left-arm spinner finished, we spoke about Shadab going in and Nawaz getting his pads on. It was a very simple conversation. Amazing what people can interpret sometimes,” he added.Pakistan will take on New Zealand on Saturday. The match will be played on the same surface used for the Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe game.
