Asia Cup 2023 is knocking on the door and Babar Azam is leaving no stone unturned

2022 wasn’t a pleasant one for Babar Azam as far as the Asia Cup was concerned. Although overall, Babar was on the groove throughout the year, he struggled in the tournament in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with his top score being only 30. An average of 11.33 is something one generally would not associate with a batter of Babar’s class and calibre.

But ahead of the upcoming edition of the Asia Cup, Babar seems to be a man on a mission. The Pakistani skipper is leaving no stone unturned to get himself prepared for the championship, which will be co-hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

BABAR’S JUDICIOUS CHOICE

Earlier, Babar had the choice of taking part in the GT20 Canada and the Lanka Premier League (LPL). The event in Canada would have been financially more profitable for Babar. Had he played 16 days in Canada, he would have earned the same as in the LPL 2023, taking place for around four weeks.

Moreover, he also chose to play in hot and humid conditions in Sri Lanka rather than playing in much more pleasant weather in Canada. Babar’s father Azam Siddiqui revealed that Babar took the call to play in the LPL, keeping in mind the Asia Cup.

"Salaam [Hello] Pakistan, Babar told me during the Sri Lanka Test series that he would be receiving the same amount of money for the Global T20 Canada league, which is for 10 [16] days, and the Colombo League [Lanka Premier League], which is for 25 days. The weather in Canada would also be very good, while it is intensely hot in Sri Lanka,” Babar’s father wrote.

STRAINING EVERY SINEW

The pitches in the Asia Cup are not expected to provide a lot of pace and bounce. Spinners are most likely to get a lot of assistance from the surface. Babar got the taste of the conditions when he made his LPL debut for the Colombo Strikers in their match against Jaffna Kings at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Babar nailed a pull shot off Thisara Perera, but then the same shot led to his downfall. The ball kept low and crashed onto the stumps. On Australian, South African and English pitches, Babar would have found the middle of the bat while playing the same shot. It is not the same on Sri Lanka.

But he has not taken much time in adjusting to the conditions. After getting out for single digits on his maiden LPL match, Babar raced his way to being the leading run-scorer of the mega event.

BABAR STARTING TO GLOW

It is not only about the 235 runs that he has scored from five matches at an average of 47, but also the pace at which he has scored them. With a career strike-rate of less than 130, Babar has faced criticism over time for not being able to accelerate in the hour of need.

But in LPL 2023, Babar has played at a strike-rate of 143.29, which is far better than some of the big stars, including the likes of Tim Seifert, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Fakhar Zaman and Bhanuka Rajapaksa.

Babar has also shown that he is capable of shifting gears. Babar recorded the slowest LPL fifty off 48 balls against B-Love Kandy and he was trolled for the same.

But the fact that he won the Player of the Match award after leading his team to a 27-run win cannot be ignored. It may not be the most fluent knock Babar has played in his career, but it did add a lot of value to his team.

BEST OF BABAR AZAM

In his very next innings, Babar showed that he was accustomed to the playing conditions on Sri Lankan soil. Against the Galle Titans, he broke the record of the fastest hundred in the LPL off 59 balls. The track in Pallekele was definitely a better one to bat on than Colombo, but that does not take away credit from Babar for the knock he played.

Babar also became only the second cricketer after Chris Gayle to score 10 or more hundreds in the T20 format. Against the Kings, Babar racked up only 24 runs, but showed a lot of intent in his knock. During this while, Babar has clearly mentioned that the Asia Cup was on his mind throughout.

Not only the Asia Cup, but Babar picked LPL over GT20 Canada to prepare better for the World Cup to be played in India, where the conditions are not expected to be a lot different to Sri Lanka.

Babar’s preparations would also be boosted by the fact that Pakistan are set to lock horns with Afghanistan in a three-match ODI series, starting August 22.

"I suggested playing the Sri Lanka League, also mentioning that the Asia Cup would also be held in the country. Pakistan could also play Afghanistan in Sri Lanka as well, and the experience of handling difficult wickets will also help in the World Cup," Babar said.

CAN BABAR DELIVER IN ASIA CUP?

Babar Azam has set such high standards in ODIs that whenever he steps on the park, there are expectations from him. It is more so because he is the No.1 ranked ODI batter. Having scored over 5000 runs at an average of nearly 60, there has hardly been any times when Babar has been out of form in the 50-over format.

Babar would also get to play in front of his home crowd in Pakistan and the crowd would be rooting for him to perform well. The focus will also be on him when the Men in Green lock face Rohit Sharma’s India on September, although Kandy in Sri Lanka is the hosts.

There’s every reason to stay glued to your TV screen when Babar Azam comes to the middle. And it is expected to be no different in the Asia Cup as well as the World Cup.