Babar Azam was sorely missed by Pakistan in the first Test against hosts New Zealand in Mount Maunganui as the classy right-handed batsman could not play the Test after sustaining a finger injury.
Babar Azam also missed the T20I series which was lost by Pakistan by 2-1. And the 25-year old skipper has now been ruled out of the second Test too since there was a slight pain in his thumb despite a full-fledged training session.
Babar Azam Is Cleared But Wants To Take Some More Time: Mohammad Rizwan Before Babar Azam Ruled Out
Keeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan was given the captaincy role in the first Test, but Pakistan’s valiant fight in 2nd innings was not enough to avoid a huge defeat. Fawad Alam’s fighting hundred- his 2nd after being recalled after 10 years in the second innings, Faheem Ashraf’s counterattacking knock of 91 in the first innings and skipper Mohammad Rizwan’s mature knocks in both the innings were some of the bright spots for the tourists.
Babar Azam’s return could have meant that Pakistan sidelined Haris Sohail, who had scores of 3 and 9 in Mount Manganui in 1st Test. The openers too disappointed as both of them failed to score in 2nd innings.
Mohammad Rizwan earlier mentioned that Babar Azam has received clearance but wants to take more time. The 28-year old acknowledged that Kane Williamson batted very well in the first Test and Babar Azam was in the same bracket as he had the same role in Pakistan’s team. He believes that the result could have turned out to be different if the 25-year old had been part of XI.
“He’s cleared but he wants to take some more time. If he plays he has a great impact on our team. Williamson batted very solid … Babar Azam has the same role in our team. The result may have been different if Babar was playing,” Rizwan said as quoted by CricketPakistan.pk.
Pakistan lost by 101 runs in 1st Test but chasing 373 runs odd target, they put up a fighting display with Fawad Alam scoring a ton and Mohammad Rizwan scoring 60 in 2nd innings. Mohammad Rizwan scored 71 in the first innings as well alongside Faheem Ashraf who scored 91 in 1st essay.
Babar Azam Is One Of The Best Players In World And Adds A Lot To Pakistan’s Strength: Kane Williamson
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson admitted that Babar Azam brings a lot to the team, witnessing how challenging it was to beat Pakistan in 1st Test and their skipper’s addition in 2nd Test should have bolstered their strengths further.
“He’s one of the best players in the world. He obviously adds a lot. We saw how challenging it is against this Pakistan side. You add Babar to that and it strengthens it,” he added.
Babar Azam’s absence means he will miss the whole tour of New Zealand despite being in the team for both three T20Is and 2 Tests. Kane Williamson scored 129 in New Zealand’s first innings as they scored 431. The team declared at 180/5 in 2nd essay and dismissed Pakistan for 239 and 271 to win 1st Test.