Babar Azam Ends Century Drought, Thanks Fans and Coaches for Support
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Babar Azam Ends Century Drought, Thanks Fans and Coaches for Support
It was a grateful Babar Azam that appeared at the press conference as Friday night yielded to Saturday morning. Much of that gratitude was reserved for his supporters – and there is a legion in Pakistan.
A large chunk had braved the bitter cold of the Rawalpindi night waiting to watch him tick off the final few runs to get to his 20th ODI hundred, one that they have waited over 800 days and 83 innings for, and one that ties him with Saeed Anwar at the top of the ODI hundreds list for Pakistan.
Babar’s Journey to Success
“The amount of support I got from my fans, not just in Islamabad but everywhere, was great,” Babar said after Pakistan beat Sri Lanka to clinch the series. “I got support everywhere in Pakistan and it gave me a huge boost. The fans, they never deserted me in my hard times. It’s in those hard times that you work out who your true allies are.”
It helped that Babar came to the crease with Pakistan in a position of relative comfort after the openers got them off to a strong start. But that cushion has existed recently, too, and though Babar’s scores have begun to tick upwards – he scored a couple of half-centuries against South Africa and got other starts – he had got himself into a habit of squandering them.
Overcoming Bad Form
“I got starts in the previous series but I couldn’t convert them into big runs,” he said. “When our innings began, we wanted to build a partnership. When Fakhar [Zaman] and I were playing, I was giving Fakhar the strike as much as possible, because he’s a player who can change a game. The longer he’s out there, the other team’s in pressure.
“Then Rizi [Mohammad Rizwan] and I were planning on playing according to the situation and doing what was required. We played according to that and built our partnership. I was backing my strengths and had confidence in myself.”
Advice for Young Players
“The advice I’d give to any youngster who’s stuck in bad form is belief,” he said. “You can motivate yourself for a few days but hard work and dedication needs to be there every day.”
Though Babar claimed that his faith in his process had never wavered, he admitted the value of seeing it play out in a competitive match that actually mattered. “When you win matches, that’s a different kind of confidence.”
