"He knows he needs to bring new things into his game"- Salman Agha's big statement after Babar Azam's comeback in T20Is

Babar Azam propelled Pakistan to a 2-1 victory in T20I series against South Africa with his half-century.

Pakistan Cricket Team’s T20I captain Salman Agha heaped praise on Babar Azam following latter’s marvellous knock in the third T20I against South Africa Cricket Team. Agha said he is a fan of Azam’s work ethic and has not seen anyone prepare like him in international cricket.

Azam was recalled for the home T20I series against South Africa after being out of the T20I setup for a long. He got out for a duck in the opening game but arrived with a better show of unbeaten 11 runs in the second encounter. In the series-decider final clash, he hammered 68 runs off 47 balls to help Pakistan chase a 140-run target.

In the tricky chase during the low-scoring thriller, Pakistan lost openers Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub cheaply. However, Agha (33) and Azam etched a stand of 76 runs to set the platform for the team’s victory. Azam, who scored his first half-century in a long, was awarded Player of the Match as Pakistan won the three-match series 2-1.

I’m a fan of Babar Azam’s work ethic: Salman Agha

In a chat with ESPN Cricinfo, Agha heaped praises on Azam, saying that he is a fan of his work ethic. He also hopes that the right-handed batsman will continue with his good form in future.

“You may all be fans of his batting, but I’m a fan of Babar’s work ethic. The way he prepares, I have not seen anyone prepare as well as he does in international cricket. Whether he’s performing or not, his preparation is always spot on,” he said.

“He knows he needs to bring new things into his game. That sweep shot, which you do not normally associate with him, got him a number of runs today. He understands this stuff because he’s such a big player, and he recognises he needs to take things to the next level. I really hope we see this kind of Babar in future, because if he performs, we’ll definitely win matches. That’s a good sign for us,” he added.

Meanwhile, during the T20I series against South Africa, the former Pakistan captain Azam surpassed Rohit Sharma to become the highest run-scorer in T20I cricket. After his impressive show in the final T20I, he will aim for a good performance in the ODI series against South Africa. Both sides will collide in three ODI games, scheduled to commence with the opening game at Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad on November 4.

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