Babar Azam 'not satisfied' with batting order demotion

Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam said that he is "not satisfied" after being demoted to the number three position in the batting order. The 29-year-old was made to bat at No. 3 during Pakistan's five-game T20I series in New Zealand in January this year. He was replaced by Saim Ayub as a opening batter alongside Mohammad Rizwan. 

However, the new opening pair of Ayub and Rizwan failed to make any impact as they could not even record a single fifty-plus opening partnership. While speaking at the press conference after Peshawar Zalmi's last league stage fixture against Karachi Kings on Monday, March 11, Babar said that he accepted the new slot for the sake of Pakistan.

“I don’t feel or take any pressure whenever I open the innings (in T20Is). The team was demanding me to come down to No. three and I did it for the team. If asked from a personal perspective, I was not satisfied with the move but I did it for Pakistan,” Babar said during a press conference.

Also read: When is Babar Azam getting married? Mohammad Rizwan spills the beans

Watch the video:

پاکستان ٹیم میں نمبر 3 پر کھیلنے پر مطمئین اور تیار نہیں تھا مگر جو کیا پاکستان کے لیے کیا ۔ بابر اعظم @TheRealPCB pic.twitter.com/lF9cy41cR6

— ٰImran Siddique (@imransiddique89) March 11, 2024

Babar Azam leads PSL most runs chart 

Babar is enjoying a brilliant campaign in the ongoing PSL 2024. The Peshawar Zalmi captain is the leading run-scorer in the competition with 498 runs in nine games at an average of 62.25 and a strike rate of 148.65. He has already struck a ton and five half-centuries in the tournament.

Also read: 'We don't need to justify ourselves to anyone else' - Shaheen Afridi on rumored dressing-room altercation with Babar Azam

Babar-led Peshawar Zalmi are currently leading the points table with six wins from 10 games. Speaking about their game against Karachi Kings, Zalmi players demonstrated their prowess and won the game by two runs. batting first after winning the toss, Zalmi posted 147 runs with their captain Babar scoring 51 runs. Shan Masood-led side made a solid start while chasing the below par target of 148 runs. However, Zalmi bowlers managed to restrict the opponents by 145 runs.