Former Pakistan cricket team director Mohammed Hafeez has opened up about how he convinced star Pakistani batsman and ex-captain to bat at the number 3 position in T20 internationals.
Hafeez was recently relieved of his duties as the PCB Director, just months after being appointed for the role in the aftermath of Pakistan's below-par 2023 World Cup campaign.
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His stint as the director of the Pakistani did not yield fruitful results as they suffered 3-0 whitewash in Australia and lost the T20I series against New Zealand 4-1 in January.
How Mohammed Hafeez convinced Babar Azam to bat at No. 3 in T20Is?
Speaking on a local Pakistani channel's show named the Pavillion Show, Hafeez revealed his chat with Babar Azam.
He said,
It took me about two months to convince Babar Azam that you have to do it for Pakistan and you are not the first one who's doing it. You are a great player, you are a wonderful player and you are playing great cricket however you have to develop the Pakistan team.
You and Rizwan are very good players, excellent players but you are not the whole team. We need to develop a team and for that I want you to come at number 3 because you have been playing this role in ODI cricket for last six years, so it won't affect you; technically you are very solid.
Thank you very much to him that he accepted this and he played for Pakistan at number 3 which obviously I think is the best way to move.
MORE: Hafeez threatens to expose PCB after being sacked as team director
What next for Babar Azam
The star batsman is currently in action for Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League. In their tournament opener, the right-hand batter played a quality innings of 68 off 42 balls but his team lost to Quetta Gladiators by 16 runs. He will be next seen in action against Karachi Kings on Wednesday.
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