Babar Azam rues missing out on maiden T20I century

After setting up Pakistan’s 82-run victory in the second Twenty20 International against the Windies, Babar Azam, the Player of the Match, said he was “very sad” at failing to capitalise on the opportunity and bring up his maiden century in the format.

The 23-year-old felt there were a few opportunities to score that he missed, forcing him to stop at 97*.

“I missed a few balls which played a role in missing out the century,” said Azam, who faced 58 balls and hit 13 fours and a six, after the match. “I was discussing with Shoaib (Malik) bhai whether I should take a chance or try to get to the century by running ones or twos. I misread a few balls and ended up missing the opportunity.”

The win gave Pakistan an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series being played at Karachi’s National Stadium.

In the recently concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL), Azam, who played for Karachi Kings, had five half-centuries against his name as he scored 402 runs from 12 games at an average of 40.20.

“I scored fifties in the PSL but unfortunately my team did not win,” he said. “We can say that our bowling also had a role to play in it. But I got a lot of confidence by scoring those runs. I have brought that confidence here and applied myself.”

Azam, who isn’t quite the modern-day smash-everything batsman but prefers a more conventional style of batting, said that cricket's shortest format is about keeping the run-flow going and not just hitting big.

“Whether the runs are coming down the ground or through cut shots, the runs should come. T20 cricket is not about big hitting. My role is to play my natural game, not go out there and slog,” he offered. “My coach has instructed me to play my natural game and bat till the end. Our plan is that the team will play around me. But, when I feel that I have to go for power hitting, I take my chances.”

After rolling over for just 60 – their lowest T20I total – in the first game, which they lost by 143 runs, the Windies did give a better account of themselves in the second game, totaling 123. Five of their batsmen got into double-figures, with Chadwick Walton leading the way with a 29-ball 40.

Despite the poor performances, he said the team were motivated to sign off on a high. “There’s still motivation, of course, because we are playing for the West Indies obviously,” he said. “It’s better to lose a series 2-1 than lose a series 3-0, so there’s still motivation.”