Watch: Watch: Babar Azam gives an epic reply to a journalist when asked about his strike rate in the PSL

Peshawar Zalmi skipper Babar Azam was enraged after his club was defeated by Islamabad United by six wickets in the current Pakistan Premier League (PSL) 2023 on Thursday, February 23. Even though the right-hander led from the start, scoring 75 off 58 balls at a strike rate of 129.31, with seven fours and a six. Babar was asked about his strike rate during the post-match press conference. He replied angrily, asking the interviewer whether he should play with a strike rate of 300.

For those unfamiliar, Zalmi experienced a middle-order collapse after Azam and Mohammad Haris (40 off 21) enjoyed a 76-run opening-wicket partnership. In their allocated 20 overs, they scored 156/8. Hasan Ali took three wickets for United, while Rumman Raees, Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, and Mubasir Khan each took one. In response, Rahmanullah Gurbaz of United led the run chase with 62 off 31, while Rassie van der Dussen produced 42 off 29. Asif Ali contributed 29 runs off 13 balls as United won by six wickets with 5.1 overs to go.

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Finishing a problem for Zalmi

However, at the post-match programme, Babar Azam stated that Zalmi fell short in their first innings. During the remaining games, the 28-year-old wants the guys to enhance their hitting. “We had a good start and executed our plans till then, but we lost back-to-back wickets. Hasan Ali bowled well and we lost the momentum. We tried to get it back, but it was too late and we didn’t get any partnerships. This was a 180-200 wicket. We are starting well but are not finishing strongly and that is an area we need to work on. But there are positives, especially with the way Haris is batting in the powerplay. I started well but didn’t finish the way I would have liked. It would have been different if there was a proper batter to support me at the other end.”

Azam, who was born in Lahore and is a first cousin of the Akmal brothers, rose through the ranks of age-group cricket. His adventure began with an under-15 global championship in 2008, and he went on to play two under-19 World Cups, where he was Pakistan’s leading run-scorer in 2010 and 2012. His hat-trick of ODI hundreds against the West Indies earned him a Test debut in the series that followed, and Azam had the opportunity to solidify his status when Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-careers Haq’s waned. He’d seize the chance and then some. Throughout the years, Azam rose to become Pakistan’s top batsman, the country’s most recognised player, and one of the finest batters in the world.