How an Indian-origin player helped Babar Azam get back amongst run-scorers in T20 World Cup

How an Indian-origin player helped Babar Azam [Source: AFP]

Up until the T20 World Cup clash against the USA, Pakistan batter Babar Azam was struggling for form as he had played a couple of good innings, but nothing outstanding, which the team demanded from him. However, that all changed when the two teams collided in Colombo and Babar was back amongst the run-scorers.

Heading into the T20 World Cup, Babar was demoted in the batting order, and question marks were raised as experts wanted him out of the team. He, too, didn’t help his cause as the star player failed to deliver the goods in Pakistan’s opening fixture against the Netherlands.

Hence, the pressure was on Babar as he walked out to bat against the USA, and tables turned in one-single over as an Indian-origin player helped Babar get some runs behind his back heading into the India clash.

How USA's India-born bowler helped Babar Azam in scoring runs

• For his first 18 deliveries, Babar looked clueless as the USA bowlers had tightened their grips around him, and while his batting partner, Sahibzada Farhan, was going all guns blazing, Babar was struggling to even score a boundary.
• However, everything changed when Harmeet Singh, the left-arm spinner from Mumbai was brought in front of him.
• In the 13th over, Harmeet was made to look clueless as he dropped one short, and Babar finally connected from the sweet spot of the bat to hit a massive six. With that big hit, the Pakistan batter got some confidence in his batting as the Mumbai-born spinner, once again, bowled short and Babar pulled it towards deep-mid wicket region for a boundary.

(Babar Azam stats before and after facing Harmeet)

• The fourth and the sixth ball of the over were also dispatched by the classy batter as he accumulated 17 off the over, and interestingly, this was the most runs scored by Babar Azam in an over in T20Is.
• From 15 off 18 balls, one over changed Babar’s fate as he raced away to 32 off 23, and eventually scored 46 off 32 with a strike rate of 143.75.
• As the table suggests, before he faced a single ball from the USA spinner, his strike rate was just 83.3, but that all changed after the over. He scored 17 off him, and eventually scored 31 off his last 14 deliveries.
• The Indian-origin spinner gave Babar a new life as the batter broke the shackles and smashed 4 fours and a six to score some valuable runs.

The importance of Babar Azam back in form

• Babar Azam may not be the most aggressive T20 batter in the modern era, but he holds utmost importance in the Pakistan team. He works as a glue as Pakistan batting revolves around him.
• The innings against the USA showed Babar’s class as apart from him, and Sahibzada Farhan, the other batters struggled to get bat on ball. Shadab Khan gave finishing touches (30 off 12), but the likes of Saim Ayub, Salman Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usman Khan, and Faheem Ashraf crumbled on a tricky wicket.
• Even Babar was struggling at one stage, but that one over from Harmeet changed the outcome as he seized the opportunity and his quick-fire runs ensured that Pakistan scored a winning total (190).
• Had Babar failed to capitalise after the Harmeet over, the other batters might have crumbled under pressure, and the team might not have reached 190.

Conclusion

Till the time Babar had faced 18 deliveries, things were under control for the USA, but that one over in which Harmeet Singh was taken for 17 runs changed the course of the game. Babar then unleashed his best, and it is ironic that an Indian-origin bowler indirectly helped Babar get some runs under his belt.