'He isn’t looking out...': Inzamam-ul-Haq gives verdict on Babar Azam's form after England upstage Pakistan in 1st T20I

Legendary cricketer Inzamam-ul-Haq has opened up about Babar Azam's form amid the T20I series between Pakistan and England. Pakistan were upstaged by England in the 1st T20I on Tuesday.

Legendary cricketer Inzamam-ul-Haq has slammed Pakistan's batting unit for their mediocre show against Moeen Ali-led England in the 1st T20I of the seven-match series on Tuesday. After suffering a heartbreak at the Asia Cup 2022 final, Babar Azam's Pakistan have resumed its World Cup preparations as the Green Army is busy hosting England for a lengthy bilateral series prior to the showpiece event.

Pakistan's captain Babar Azam plays a shot during the first T20 cricket match between Pakistan and England (AP)

Pakistan's middle order was left exposed in the absence of departing veterans Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik in the series opener against England. Riding on Mohammad Rizwan and Babar's fighting knocks, the former world champions posted 158-7 in 20 overs. Moeen-led England chased down the total in 19.2 overs at the National Stadium.

Reflecting on Pakistan's performance in the 1st T20I on his YouTube channel, batting legend Inzamam opined that Pakistan team’s performance has not been up to the mark. Questioning the batting performances of the middle-order batters, Inzamam slammed the Babar-led side for repeating the same old mistakes in the recently concluded fixture.

“Batters coming in at 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th number, should hit the strike rate of 150. Then only we can achieve the target. It’s not that England played well, but Pakistan were 15-20 runs short. Things would have been different if Pakistan had 175 plus on board,” Inzamam said.

However, the former Pakistani batter credited Rizwan for playing a sublime knock for the hosts. Inzamam also claimed that Pakistan skipper Babar is not looking out of form although he only scored 31 off 24 balls against England.

“It augurs well that Mohammad Rizwan, who is constantly contributing with the bat, also taking care of his strike rate now. Also, though Babar Azam played a short knock, he isn’t looking out of form. He made 24-ball 31," Inzamam said.

Pakistan skipper Babar had a forgetful campaign in the 2022 edition of the Asia Cup. The all-format skipper of the Green Army is hoping to regain his form in the England series. "Changes are good for the team and though they could not perform well in the first match against England, we should back them. The team combination is better now than the one we had in Asia Cup," Inzamam added.