Management Reportedly Forced Babar Azam to Play Final T20 Against New Zealand Despite Injury
Pakistani star batter and ex-captain Babar Azam was urged to play in the fifth T20 match against New Zealand in Christchurch despite suffering from a groin injury.
Babar’s close sources say that his injury wasn’t serious. Since Pakistan had already lost the series, he wanted to rest and let a young player get a chance. But he played in the match after the team management insisted.
Pakistan lost the T20 series to New Zealand 4-1. They were at risk of losing all five matches. During this time, Pakistan’s leading batter, Babar Azam, was injured and unsure about playing the last match. He was encouraged to play, and despite an injury and a dropped catch, he scored 13 runs from 24 balls.
Furthermore, he didn’t field much, but Pakistan still won the match by 42 runs, preventing a whitewash. Babar was the series’ highest run-scorer with 213 runs and three half-centuries.
After this match on January 21st, Babar traveled 11,206 kilometers to Dhaka. On January 23rd, he played for Rangpur Riders against Sylhet Strikers in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). Opening the batting, he scored 56 runs, helping his team win a challenging match.
The 29-year-old batter’s domination with the bat continued as he delivered another match-winning performance for his team in the BPL on Saturday’s match against Durdanto Dhaka. He smashed 62 crucial runs, setting a competitive total that was easily defended. This marks Babar’s second fifty, both contributing to victories in the ongoing BPL.
