Srinagar, July 30: Pakistan batting coach and legend Younis Khan has made it clear that teams star batsman Babar Azam has to play big knock and convert his 100 into 150 and 200 for the betterment of his team.
Babar is considered backbone of Pakistan batting. After initially struggling in longer format he has finally started to evolve and show his hunger for Test cricket as well. During Pakistan’s Australia tour while other batsman struggled Babar played some memorable knocks. Currently he is only batsman in the World to be ranked amoung top five batsman in all three formats of cricket.
“He’s been a fantastic performer for Pakistan with strong performance in the last couple of years. I want him to bat longer, converting his 100 into 150 and 150 into 200,” Younis Khan said this during a online media interaction.
“Hopefully, he will end up as a legendary batsman. I don’t think we should put comparisons of other players with Babar. All this could put unwanted pressure on him. Babar has a class of his own and I hope I can take him to the next level.” Younis said.
Younis further elaborated on the need for the batsmen to acclimatise to the conditions in England and be solid in their technique.
“It’s an open secret that batsmen struggle here, especially on their first tours. Batting isn’t easy, more so when it’s cold and overcast. It’s crucial to play close to the body, under your eyes and play late with soft hands, ” Khan said.
“We’re working with the boys to ensure that they adapt. See, you can not change technique overnight. Maybe with the extremely young and raw players you can, but not with the established players. That’ll surely backfire. So, it’s about adapting and refining your technique to adjust with the conditions,” he said