Babar Azam has a response for 'strike rate brigade'

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has responded to his critics taking a cheeky dig at them after he scored a sensational ton against New Zealand in the second T20I in Lahore.

The prolific batter garnered huge praise from fans as he hit 11 boundaries and three maximums totalling an unbeaten 101 off 58 deliveries at a strike rate of 174.13. Babar celebrated the century in style with evidently high energy.

The feat helped Pakistan take a 2-0 lead over the tourists in the five-match series.

During a post-match interview, cricket presenter Zainab Abbas asked Babar about whether his high-spirited celebration was aimed at the “strike-rate brigade”.

"Extra passion was clearly seen like you were saying 'see all of you who criticise me unnecessarily'," Abbas explained her question.

"You can say that," Babar responded with a chuckle.

He however, said on a serious note that he does not "keep these types of things in my mind". 

"I play according to the situation and build my innings according to the team’s requirement".

Babar also said that his priority was to win matches for Pakistan instead of focusing on personal milestones.

"I'm not too worried about personal milestones. I'm focused on performing in a way that I can help my team win. The team comes first and then milestones," he said. "From an individual point of view, you can say this was a special hundred."

It must be noted that Pakistan won the second T20I by 38 runs courtesy Babar's brilliance with the bat and pacer Haris Rauf’s four-wicket haul.

Chasing a target of 193 runs, the Kiwis were restricted to 154-7 in 20 overs.

Eight Kiwis are missing because of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and skipper Kane Williamson has a bad knee injury, leaving the captaincy to batsman Tom Latham — and providing plenty of opportunity for newcomers to shine.

The remaining three T20I matches are on April 17 in Lahore, and 20 and 24 in Rawalpindi.

Pakistan and New Zealand will also meet in five one-day internationals after the T20 series, honing preparations for this year´s 50-over World Cup in India.

The tour comes as something of compensation for New Zealand pulling out of their visit to Pakistan on the day of the first game in September 2021, citing security concerns.

The Black Caps played two Tests and three ODIs in Pakistan just three months ago.