Pakistan’s left-arm spinner Mehran Mumtaz has revealed that Babar Azam helped him a lot during his time with Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9, which was held earlier this year.
Mumtaz, who represented Pakistan in the U19 World Cup, stated that it is normal to get nervous while playing under Babar Azam’s captaincy but he teaches everyone a lot.
“You are nervous when playing under Babar’s captaincy because he is a star and a big player, someone who you always watch on TV and suddenly get to play with, you sometimes get nervous,” Mumtaz said in an interview with Geo News.
“I performed for Peshawar and he [Babar] supported me a lot. Even when I was not playing matches, he used to advise me that whenever you get the chance, you would have to bowl according to the conditions. You learn so much by playing with such a big player and it was an honour for me to be able to play with the best player in the world.”
He then added that Azam told him to go for dot balls in T20 cricket and that is exactly what he does which allows him to maintain his economy in the shorter format.
“When I was playing for Peshawar, Babar bhai told me that you don’t have to run after the wicket, just bowl dot balls. In T20 cricket, if your dot ball ratio is good, then you are benefitting the team. I always try to bowl a lot of dot balls in T20 cricket, which has helped me in maintaining my economy under 6,” the youngster added.
He also revealed that he is trying to work on his batting as being an all-rounder gives you more opportunities in T20 cricket.
"I couldn’t get opportunities back in the day but right now I have started working on my batting skills. I try to bat with courage because when you come at number six or seven in T20 cricket, you have to play different shots. I’m trying to become an all-rounder because when your batting and bowling are good and you’re also a good fielder, it is not easy to remove you from the team," he added.
Arfa Feroz Zake- Babar Azam
