NEWS
Follow UsBabar Azam said he is proud of his fast-bowling unit and couldn’t stop praising the trio of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf ahead of Pakistan's encounter against their arch-rivals India on Sunday (September 10). The three have been in superb form in the ongoing Asia Cup.
The three seamers have taken 23 wickets between them in the tournament and have operated at an economy rate of well below 5. Rauf is currently the leading wicket-taker in the competition, having claimed nine wickets at an average of 10.3. Meanwhile, Naseem and Afridi have taken seven wickets each.
When Pakistan played India earlier in the tournament, these three took all 10 wickets between them. Even if you look at Pakistan’s numbers in the Asia Cup, pacers are averaging 13 after three games, while spinners have averaged 39.8. That’s the key reason why they have struggled in the middle overs and have now brought in fast-bowling all-rounder Faheem Ashraf in the XI.
"I feel very proud of the fast bowlers I have. They're among the best, and help us dominate. Tournaments and matches are won by fast bowlers, and I fully believe in them. There's no secret; they just believe in themselves and cover for each other,” said Babar.
“We're testing out different combinations to see what works for us. We haven't quite worked out exactly how to best approach the middle overs, but we're finishing and starting very well thanks to our fast bowlers. It's a team effort. As a team, we try and get the best out of our players."
A win against India would all but confirm their spot in the finale and Babar feels they do have an edge over Rohit Sharma and his men. “We have spent two-and-a-half months in Sri Lanka, including the Test series, LPL, Afghanistan series, and now the Asia Cup. So you could say we have a slight edge over India because of that."
