Former Pakistani all-rounder Azhar Mahmood advised Babar Azam to keep on playing the anchor role as the Green Shirts are in pursuit of the massive 402-run target in the 35th match of the ICC World Cup 2023 against New Zealand at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, Indian, on Saturday.
Fakhar Zaman has taken the realm of Pakistan's batting and is breathing fire with his bat and Mahmood wants the Green Shirts to continue the same way.
The 48-year-old said that Babar should continue to play the anchor role which will allow the other batters to go hard. He also stated that losing wickets at this stage can turn out to be crucial.
"Babar needs to play as an anchor and the rest of the guys can continue being aggressive. If you lose a wicket here by both being aggressive - then they may just stumble. They need to keep doing what they’re doing. #PAKvsNZ," Azhar Mahmood wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
By the time this story was filed, the match was stopped due to rain and Pakistan were 160-1 in 21.3 overs with Fakhar (106*) and Babar Azam (47*) still on the crease.
Pakistan is 10 runs ahead of the DLS score. If the Green Shirts chase this target down, it would be the biggest chase in the history of the World Cup.
Earlier, the Black Caps posted 401-6, the second-highest total of the ongoing competition on the back of Rachin Ravindra (108), Kane Williamson (95) and Glenn Phillips (41).
Mark Chapman (39), Daryl Mitchell (29) and Mitchell Santner (26) made valuable contributions.
Williamson, back in the team after breaking his thumb earlier in the tournament, fell for 95 after sharing a 180-run second-wicket partnership with Ravindra.
Remember, Pakistan won the toss and opted to field. Williamson, who had only recovered from knee surgery just before the tournament, featured in the match against Bangladesh in Chennai on October 13 during which he fractured his thumb and missed the subsequent games.
- Babar Azam