Pakistan batting coach, Mohammad Yousuf, has praised all-format captain, Babar Azam, for his outstanding performance against the Sri Lankan, saying the inning is an example of maturity and patience.
Speaking to the media after the second day’s play, he said, “I think it was an exceptional, mature, and patient inning. The maturity Babar has shown as a batsman even after becoming captain in all three formats is remarkable.”
In response to Sri Lanka’s 222 in the first innings, Pakistan did not show enough resistance against spinners to stay at the crease, but Babar Azam scored 119 at a time when Pakistan needed a big innings from him.
While expressing his thoughts on the crucial innings in a difficult situation, the batting coach stated that in situations where the pace and spin both work, it is necessary to play the ball under the chin, which Babar did.
I think the beauty of his innings was how he played the ball under his chin. On such pitches, be it pace or spin, the right way is to play every ball under the chin and he did that.
Yousuf, who holds the record for the most Test runs in a calendar year, expressed his admiration for the way Babar batted with the tailenders and added important runs at the end.
It is worth noting that Pakistan lost their seven wickets with only 85 runs on the board, but thanks to Babar, who scored 27 runs with Yasir Shah, 36 runs with Hasan Ali, and 70 runs with Naseem on the last wicket, Pakistan ended up with 218.
