Pakistan white-ball head coach Mike Hesson has firmly dismissed rumours suggesting that he asked Babar Azam to take up wicket-keeping duties to reclaim his place in the national T20I squad. The clarification comes amid growing controversy following Babar’s omission from the T20I squad for the upcoming Bangladesh tour starting July 20.
Reports had claimed that the team management asked Babar to switch roles, possibly including wicket-keeping, to be considered for selection. However, Hesson, while speaking to reporters, made it clear that no such discussion ever took place.
“No discussion took place with Babar where I suggested he also keep wickets. He has never kept wickets in his entire career and you suggest he keeps wickets. This is not the way to treat a former captain and senior,” Hesson said, according to PTI.
The coach reaffirmed that the team does not view Babar as a wicket-keeping option, and he continues to be assessed based on his performance as a top-order batter.
“Firstly, Babar Azam is not seen as a wicketkeeping option, no. Not sure where that came from, but I have heard that speculation. Babar is competing for one of the opening positions at the moment. But obviously we have Fakhar [Zaman] and Saim [Ayub] in those two roles at the moment, so he’s competing for that,” he added.
Babar, who is Pakistan’s highest-ever run-scorer in T20Is with 4,223 runs at an average close to 40 and a strike rate of 129.22, has been the centre of debate due to Pakistan’s focus on boosting strike rates in the format.
Hesson explained that while strike rate is important, it must be paired with consistency and volume of runs.
“No doubt strike rate is important in T20 cricket but you have to combine it with a volume of runs,” Hesson said. “There’s a good reason why our ranking in T20 cricket is as low as it is, because our strike rates from a batting point of view are not high enough. We certainly made some shifts in that last series to play a more expansive game of cricket and probably catch up with the rest of the world, as that is the way the modern game is,” he mentioned.
In closing, Hesson expressed his support for Babar and stated that he’s committed to helping the former captain evolve as a T20 batter.
“Babar is one of many who have the ability to make those improvements. And I’m here to work with them and help them. In the last month or so, he’s made some really good changes. It’s not just a matter of going from 125 to 150, it’s a matter of increasing what you can offer because we’re no doubt often 30-40 runs short with the bat. So, we need to find a way of getting that,” he concluded.
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