Babar Azam lashes out at reporter over Virat Kohli comparison
Peshawar Zalmi skipper unhappy over question regarding his finishing abilities
Babar Azam is certainly one of the finest batters in the modern game, but once in a while, he does manage to make headlines for the wrong reasons.
The Pakistani batter, known for his exquisite cover drives, was in the news earlier this year at Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL) playing for Sydney Sixers against Sydney Thunder, when Steve Smith denied him an easy single to retain strike for the "Power Surge". Smith’s decision was tactical as he smashed a record 32 runs the following over.
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Azam was visibly frustrated, seen on video reacting angrily to the refusal and later striking the boundary cushions with his bat upon being dismissed for 47. Despite his consistency with the bat, the 31-year-old Azam has been unable to keep up with the frenetic pace of Twenty20 cricket, maintaining a career strike rate of just 128.
But what happened on Wednesday in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) was off the field.
Playing against Hyderabad Kingsmen, the Peshawar Zalmi skipper scored 43 off 37 balls and got out with his side still needing 30 runs, before they managed to scrape home on the last ball chasing a modest 146 for victory. Things got heated at the post-match press conference, when a reporter asked him about his ability to finish matches, just like Virat Kohli does for India.
Azam appeared visibly displeased at the comparison and urged the journalist to move on from such debates. "Finish these things. Keep these things to yourself. End the comparison and move on. It's your misconception that I have not finished matches," he said.
The exchange quickly gained traction, once again highlighting the scrutiny surrounding cross-border comparisons between leading cricketers.
So far this season, Babar has accumulated 82 runs from two outings at a strike rate of 126.15, registering 10 boundaries and one six. In contrast, Kohli, has scored 97 runs in two matches for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League (IPL), including an unbeaten 69 off 38 balls in a successful chase against Sunrisers Hyderabad, at an overall strike rate of 173.21.
Peshawar Zalmi are currently fourth on the PSL table with two wins in three matches. Multan Sultans continue to lead the table with 8 points with four wins, while Hyderabad Kingsmen and Rawalpindiz are stuck at the bottom, yet to win a match.
